A heart in chains
by thecrimsondagger
Summary: She was meant to be nothing more than a possible addition to their coven, but fate always has a way to throw a spanner in the works. She wears her mask of happiness well, but her mind is haunted by the horrors of her own past. Can the kings bring peace to her broken soul and revive her shattered heart, or will she run from her chance for true happiness? Rated M for later themes.
1. Chapter 1

Their eyes scanned the area, the eerie glow of the moon the only form of light in the small village as they made their way through the streets and towards the small hotel. This was where the informer had said the target would be. The sound of their expensive Italian shoes clicking against the tarmac was the only noise that could be heard in the bleak mid-winter night.

"Too think, such a human would be found in a place such as this"

His voice purred with the subtle vibes of his Italian accent, deceivingly happy as he planned ways too capture his target. A low growl of annoyance echoed behind as he turned too face his fair haired brother.

"This human had better be worth the trouble we have taken too come here. I care little for the highlands of Scotland, Aro"

There were few things that could lure the three from the secluded safety of their coven, away from the protection of their guard. But when a nomadic vampire had begged council before the three kings, bringing forth information of a young human that he had witnessed show signs of a potential talent, Aro had not been able too resist the temptation that had been placed before him.

"Come now Caius, surely you can appreciate the poor weather that this part of the world offers. A chance too witness how the world outside our castle walls has changed without concern for the affliction the sun has upon our skin"

His jovial words fell on deaf ears as another snarl of annoyance ripped from Caius. He really did hate being forced away from his comforts, such a hedonist. An apathetic sigh drifted from the lips of his other brother as he chose a rare moment too speak

"And if the human proves a disappointment?"

A menacing, overly giddy smile twisted upon Aro's lips at Marcus' words

"Then we shall dispose of the human and have Demetri hunt down the nomadic informer... Make an example of him if he proves too be a liar"

Nothing more needed too be said as they drew closer too their destination. It appeared to be nothing more than a quaint little hotel, seated in the center of the remote village. A small car park with well maintained gardens and a number of detached annex rooms. A single light shone from the windows, clearly the office as the brothers observed the man that sat typing on a computer within.

The sound of the front desk bell rang out through the little office as Daniel rubbed his eyes and fought against the exhaustion that was rapidly consuming his mind. It was 11pm and he still had the accounts too run through, the hotel was far from busy but that didn't mean that orders didn't need processing or that invoices for the few guests that were currently staying didn't need typing up and printing. He sighed and pulled himself up from his seat, placing his most professional smile on his lips as he made his way too the front entrance. He was a little startled too find three men that he did not recognize, it seemed rather late for walk-in bookings too arrive.

"good evening gentlemen, how may I be of assistance?"

Aro and his brothers turned too face the raven haired human. This was not the one that they were searching for, they were looking for a woman. He stepped closer and Daniel couldn't help but feel slightly un-nerved by the three. Their skin was too pale, the strange violet shade of their eyes didn't seem too fit and the elegance of their movement seemed other-worldly. But he chose too ignore it as the raven haired of the three spoke.

"I and my brothers require a room. What is your best?"

"That would be Highland View Cottage, sir. Three bedrooms, all with en-suit. A fully functional kitchen and large living room. There is also a sauna"

Aro simply nodded his head, pretending too be considering what he had said. simply put, he cared little for the facilities the room had too offer. It wasn't as if he or his brothers would or even could use them. He took the key from the man, allowing his fingers too briefly touch his hand, taking a glimpse into his memories. His smile spread like oil across his face as he caught the memory of the young woman that they were seeking. She was still here, and it would appear that she worked for the hotel.


	2. Chapter 2

Her eyes flickered open as the rays of the morning sun invaded the bliss that had been her sleep. Burying her head under the duvet once more, she tried too ignore the fact that she needed too get ready for work, tried too ignore the unwanted tapping on her bedroom door.

"come on, Skye. I know you're in there"

Damn it Daniel! she groaned as she pulled herself free from her little cocoon of warmth and unlocked the door, meeting the amused eyes of her friend and colleague as he took in her appearance

"love the pajamas, but bed head really isn't your look"

She glared tired daggers as he laughed at her expression, looking down quickly at the fox onesy she wore. She'd slap him if he wasn't her best friend

"thanks for the advice Gok Wan. What do you want?"

Mornings really weren't Skye's best time of day. In the rare times that her sleep wasn't plagued with nightmares, she liked too try and steal as much sleep as possible in preparation for the nights where she would wake up with sweat trickling down her neck and tears streaming from her eyes, the screams still echoing in her mind as a constant reminder of her past.

"I just wanted too let you know that I sold Highland View Cottage last night"

She could feel her eye beginning too twitch in irritation as he smiled brightly at her.

"I hate you, you know that?"

"you can't hate me. I'm too damn lovable"

She turned from him, muttering profanities beneath her breath as she slammed the door. No, she couldn't hate him, but she could pretend too. It was meant too be a quiet day on housekeeping for her, that's why, as head housekeeper, she was the only damn person on duty today. Pulling the doors of her wardrobe open and taking out a simple pair of pale blue jeggings and a black turtle neck sweater, she prepared for her day.

Aro watched out of the window as the rain continued too fall. He had not yet seen the young woman of whom the nomad had spoken of. From what he had been told and from the memories of the man last night, she would be a hard person too miss. Dark bloody locks of crimson hair falling too her mid-back, a smooth caramel complexion too her skin and eyes that shone with a rare shade of pale blue that verged upon being white. But it was now 1pm and the woman had not yet shown herself. Perhaps it was her day off and, due too the terrible weather, she had decided too stay indoors.

"She is trying my patience, Aro"

Caius was in a foul mood as Aro turned an amused eye too his brother. Not only had he been dragged out too 'no man's land', as he liked too call it, but the reason for this little trip did not seem too even wish too grace them with her presence.

"Caius, you know how fragile human's are too the elements. You must be patient"

He was about too bite back with a reply, but the sound of a knocking against the front door broke off his words as Marcus stood too answer. Ever the gentleman and trying too hold the facade of being normal guests. Caius scoffed and turned his back on the door, folding his arms over his chest.

As Marcus drew closer too the door, a shock of red hair could be seen through the frosted glass, covered slightly with a hood too protect the person from the rain. A sigh passed his lips as he prepared himself too act human, opening the door and startling the petite woman on the other side as she jumped and spun too face him fully. The moment his eyes met her lightning blue orbs he felt the tightening in his chest, saw through his gift the thick golden ribbon that had formed and linked their souls together. How could it be?

"Good afternoon dear, can I help you?"

His voice sounded nothing like his normally apathetic tone. It sounded deeper, more lively, just like it had once done before the loss of his beloved Didyme. Her smile was breath taking too his mind as she recovered her composure and looked up at him. He stood a good foot taller than she did

"Afternoon. Sorry I'm so late, but do you require housekeeping?"

Her voice was strong and confident but still held a melodic, sultry quality too it. It could possibly have been the most beautiful sound his ears had ever heard. Marcus looked back into the house quickly, from what Aro had described, this could only be the woman they were looking for. The question, however, was whether too let his brother any where near her?

"That would be much appreciated, dearest"

At least if Aro met her, she would definitely be brought back with them. It was selfish, but he didn't want too lose her now that he had met her. He followed behind as she stepped through the door and into the living room, the eyes of Aro moving too her.

Aro couldn't contain his elated smile as the young woman stepped into view, pulling down the hood of her coat too reveal the flaming locks of hair before turning too face him, a cheerful smile on her lips as her eyes met his. His smile faltered for a moment as his chest felt like it would explode, a quick look of confusion sent too Marcus as his stoic brother looked equally surprised, merely nodding his head in confirmation. The woman now had two thick golden bands stretching between her soul and theirs. Aro shook his mind and rose too greet the woman, but was cut off by the annoyed voice of Caius as he finally deemed it necessary too acknowledge the woman

"Took you long enough. Service really is lacking in this hotel"

Aro could have ripped his head off for speaking too her in such a manner. The little frown on her lips as she looked at the blonde made a small snarl rip from his throat, only loud enough for his brothers too hear as she spoke

"I'm sorry sir... I'm working alone today"

Caius would have sent a verbal tirade her way for daring too answer back, but as he met her gaze, he felt his harsh eyes soften and the anger begin too melt away. Marcus couldn't find words too describe his shock as he witnessed a third band connect from the girl too Caius. He had never seen such a thing as this, how could she have this with all three of them?

"That is fine... I apologize for my temper. The rain must have put me in a bad mood"

Marcus had moved too stand beside Aro, touching his hand briefly too relay the information and watching as the raven haired vampire's eyes widened slightly at what he had seen.

"I should be out of your way in no time, just pretend I'm not here"

Her own mood had done a complete U-turn as she smiled once more at them and began her work. The brothers watched as she darted around the house, tidying the little bits they had used too keep up their act of being human, how were they supposed too pretend she wasn't there now? They didn't want her too leave 'in no time'

"May I ask your name, Mia Cara?"

It was the only thing Aro could think of too delay her departure. If he could start a conversation then perhaps, not only would she stay longer, he and his brothers would learn more about her. She popped her head around the corner, the smile on her face didn't sit right with the brothers. It seemed false, convincing as it was, like a well worn mask.

"Skye Fall. Which part of Italy are you three from, if you don't mind me asking? your accents are familiar"

Caius and Marcus sent a quick look too Aro, silently commending him for his idea

"Volterra. Do you know it?"

She turned her gaze towards Caius as she spoke, moving too stand fully in the door way. Skye couldn't describe it, but she felt comfortable around these three, as if it were a natural thing for her too be with them. She felt safe for the first time in her life. But then, although she felt this way, something un-nerved her about them. Their pale skin, violet shade eyes and the fact that she couldn't see their chests moving slightly as they took breath, it looked as if they weren't breathing at all.

"Oh yes, It's my favorite part of the country. I've been a few times... Although, you'd never catch me going on those clock tower tours. something about that place makes my skin crawl"

The mere thought of her being mixed in amongst the other tourists, as they were led towards their doom within the feeding room, made the three kings shudder at the possibility of her being killed. Although, the irony of the situation couldn't be missed in Marcus' opinion. She had avoided the tours on each of her trips but now stood in the company of the three that lay in waiting at the end of each visit. She turned back once more, continuing the final bits of her work before moving back too the living room

"OK, all done. I'll just be getting out of your way now"

With a little wave of farewell, she was gone before the brothers could stop her, leaving them all confused as too what had just occurred.

"I believe... that our agenda has changed"

Aro's voice was barely a whisper as he stared at the door she had left through. He had thought he would simply be assessing a possible addition too his coven, but nothing like this. Marcus' voice was distant too his and Caius' ears as it all came storming into reality for each of them

"yes... but a true mate will do that"

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**So, what do you all think of the first two chapters? Should I continue or should I ditch this idea? Let me know what you all think, thanks guys! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Screams. Blood curdling screams that echoed through the darkness as she ran. The feel of fresh blood trickling down her hands made her feel nausious, the tears falling from her eyes as the voices called out all around

"Murderer!"

"Monster!"

No, she hadn't wanted to do any of those things! She was a good woman, manipulated by the people she thought she could trust. They had given her no choice in the hell that had once been her life.

"Why... Skye? Why did you do it?"

Her feet froze in place as the little girl looked up at her. There was drying blood in her golden hair, knotting the long tresses. the girls skin was deathly pale from blood loss, the bullet hole gaping through her chest as Skye fell too her knees and let her own scream ring out, clutching her head in her hands as she tugged at her crimson locks of hair.

She sat bolt upright in her bed, eyes wide in panic as she looked around the small room, desperate too confirm that it was only another nightmare. The sweat was beading against her forehead as her breaths came out in ragged pants, fighting too hold back the sobs that threatened too break free and failing miserably as she hugged her arms around her shaking form.

"Why can't you all just leave me alone?... I do everything to repent for my sins, but you still haunt me"

Her fingers ghosted up to the small chain that hung like a weight around her neck, the silver tags glistening in the moonlight. The only momentum she had kept from her time in hell. Choking back the sobs, she swiped a palm across her face and turned too look at the digital clock on her bedside table. 3:00 AM and there was no way she was going to be able to sleep after that. With a soft sigh, she lifted herself up from the bed, flicking the light switch before pulling on her jogging pants and tank top.

The night air was cold, although it did not affected the brothers as they returned from their hunt in the neighbouring city. Since that afternoon, their minds had been fogged with memories of crimson hair and icey blue eyes. Caius had been quite keen on the idea of finding her once more after her quick departure from the house, eager to be close too her.

"Do not sulk, Caius"

The blonde sent a venomous glare towards Marcus. Why shouldn't he feel annoyed? He had wanted to see her again but his brother had put a stop too any such notion by pointing out the fact that they had not fed since departing from Volterra.

"I do not see why you were so insistant brother. She is my mate. Do you truly believe that I would harm her?"

"You are forgetting that she is also the mate of myself and Marcus. We shall not take any risks with her safety. If we lost control of our thirst then she could be seriously injured. Or are you also forgetting how easily a human life can be taken?"

Aro sent a brief look towards his brother as the blonde scowled at his words. He really was too impatient at times, but he wouldn't deny that he was aching to see her again with an equal passion. Looking towards Marcus, he could see the longing in those once empty eyes. It seemed so strange that she could have this effect over them all, but then as Marcus had said, a true mate will do that.

The sound of a frantic heart beat made the three kings halt their movement, the instinct of the mating bond telling them instantly who they had come across as they watched the petite woman jog in the opposite direction, her hair held back in a tight pony tail. Marcus pulled the little pocket watch from his jacket, a look of dismay on his face as the tiny hands read 3:42 AM

"Mia cara, why are you out at such a time?"

Skye could have jumped from her skin in shock as Marcus' voice caught her ears, she hadn't expected anyone to be out at this time. Hearing his voice snapped her back too reality as the wind sent a harsh breeze against her skin. She'd forgotten her jacket in the haste to escape her room. With a slight shiver against the cold, she reset the happy smile on her lips and hoped they would fall for it.

"I could ask you all the same question"

Her voice was playful as the brothers drew closer too her, all towering a good foot taller than her in height, but they could see that her eyes were swollen and blood shot from crying. They could hear the slight strain too her lovely voice and they couldn't deny the concern they felt for what had caused such distress in their mate.

"we were simply out enjoying the stars. The atmosphere is very clear in these parts and they shine much brighter than we have seen in a long time"

"But the question of your own reason for being out at such a strange time still stands"

Her gaze moved between Aro and Caius as they spoke. Why did she get the feeling that Aro was lying too her and, more importantly, why did it bother her so much? The concern in their eyes was what truly baffled her however. They didn't know her and yet they seemed to care.

"I do this most nights... I don't sleep well"

That was all they needed to know, they didn't need to know the reason. Marcus noticed the slight shiver run across her skin as another gust of wind came their way, pulling off his jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders. She looked surprised as she clutched the soft material around her shaking form, unsure of how to react too his kind gesture or the gentle smile on his lips as she whispered a quick 'thank you'.

"Come, we shall escort you back too your room"

Aro's hand grazed briefly against her own as he motioned for her too follow. The images he saw through his gift were brief but still horrific. He could hear screaming, see blood stained walls and fire raging through her mind. She pulled her dainty hand back quickly as she met his gaze. It was a cold night, she wouldn't deny that, but not cold enough for his hands too feel like ice. Something really didn't seem right about these three, she just couldn't put her finger on what it was.

Caius noticed the torn look in her eyes as she shook her head slightly. Skye didn't want to go back, if she did then the nightmares would continue. Although the three brothers worried her, they made her feel safe and made it feel as though the past couldn't hurt her. She didn't know why, but she wanted to stay with them a little longer.

"Perhaps you would prefer to come back with us? You seem distressed"

A relieved smile graced her lips at Caius' words. But it didn't last long as she followed the three up too the cottage, Aro walking in front as Caius and Marcus flanked her side. They had only met her a day ago, and yet they were acting as if she meant something to them. If they knew what she had been before, they would probably want to be as far away from her as possible. She wasn't meant too have anyone care for her, she knew she didn't deserve it. So why did it seem so important to tell them her truth? open her caged heart and hope they wouldn't hate her.

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**Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed and favorite/followed, I hope you enjoyed the update and I promise that the next one will be up as soon as possible :)**


	4. Chapter 4

If there was one thing that Skye had always had in her life, it was a routine. Working for the hotel offered quite a nice schedule for most of her days, she'd start work at 9:00 AM and finish around 5:00 PM before grabbing lunch and a shower. Occasionally she would do a shift in the bar too help out but then most nights were her own.

That little routine seemed to disappear, however, after a week of the three brothers staying at the hotel. Upon their insistence, she now spent a fair portion of her free time with them. It seemed odd to Skye that they would do this, she'd gotten on well with other guests before but none of them had wanted to spend time with her. Not that it really bothered her, she enjoyed their company. The only down-side had to be the constant onslaught of questions, most of them a little too personal for Skye's liking.

"How old are you?"

She sat at the dining table, opposite the three as she seemed caught in a staring contest with Caius, a none too impressed look on her face as he smirked at her.

"Has nobody ever told you it's rude to ask a woman her age?"

Aro and Marcus watched on in amusement as the two bickered between each other. For every question they had for her, she had either a remark of her own or another question. It was humorous but, at the same time, rather irritating that she was so reluctant too divulge more to them other than her name and favorite music.

"Fine! I'm twenty-four. Jeez, you could whinge the back legs off a donkey"

Marcus had too place a hand over his mouth to hide his smile as Aro chuckled openly at the offended look on Caius' face. After the third day of being in their company, their mate had completely dropped the professional, polite behavior that her work required to reveal quite a complex personality. She was blunt in her opinions but never malicious, playful and teasing one moment but then serious and guarded another if she thought they were being too intrusive, her moods seemed too switch at the drop of a hat. But even after dropping her professional attitude, Aro knew she was not being completely open with them. She was hiding something. He had attempted to use his gift a few times since that night they had found her jogging alone, every time had been the same. It was almost as if her mind was consumed completely with the grotesque images of blood and fire. Only once had he been able to see past these things and catch a brief glimpse of her childhood. It had been no better. White washed walls and a cold steel table as the defenseless child she had been was forcibly injected with chemicals he could not name, the sounds of her agonized screams as the strange formula pushed through her system. What ever had happened to her before had not been good.

"Sorry, but I've got to go. I promised Daniel that I'd be at the staff party in the bar tonight"

The time was 7:30 PM, leaving only an hour and a half for Skye to get ready for the party. She really didn't need another ear bashing from Daniel for missing yet another staff get together. She stood from the table, the eyes of the brothers trained intently on her, none looking that pleased that she was leaving them early. She really didn't understand why they wanted her with them constantly, why Caius often kicked up a fuss that she had to work rather than stay in the house with them. Skye wasn't stupid, something was going on with these three and, what ever it was, it involved her. She didn't like feeling that she was being kept in the dark.

"Oh? And who will be there?"

He may not have known much about the behavior of modern humans, but Caius knew enough to know what often happened at parties. Especially if alcohol was involved. The thought of her dancing and being intimate with any other man besides himself and his brothers made his blood boil with a seething jealousy. She was theirs! Aro caught the brief glimmer of anger in his brother's eyes, touching his hand quickly to see into his mind before letting his own jealousy bubble through. Skye seemed oblivious, however, as she raised a single eyebrow at his question.

"What is this? An interrogation?"

Her mind shivered as unwanted memories began to resurface. She'd been interrogated before and she sure as hell didn't want to remember those events.

"He is simply curious, dearest"

She looked at Marcus, her stern expression softening into a gentle smile as he spoke. She couldn't feel irritated with this man, he seemed to carry an air of peace and serenity about him that settled Skye's mind and soothed her into a state of tranquility. She let a slight sigh pass her lips.

"It's just going to be the staff and a few of the locals, nothing major. Just a chance to let off some steam"

She turned towards the front door as a devilish smirk appeared on Caius' face, his words causing a blush to form on her cheeks as her hand wrapped around the door handle.

"you could stay here, I'm sure that we can find other ways for you to 'let off steam', Mia Amore"

"I'll take the party, thank you very much"

With that, she quickly disappeared through the door, not wanting to be held up any longer. Aro and Caius were on their feet in seconds, pacing around the living room with deathly glares on their faces. The, exaggerated, images of Skye amongst a crowd men as she flirted shamelessly running through their minds as Marucs simply rolled his eyes at their behavior. He had never realized how jealous his brothers could really be until now.

"you should give her more credit. Skye's bonds too others in this community are nothing stronger than friendship. She has no romantic feelings towards these people"

Aro spun on his heels, fists clenched in tight balls as he spoke through gritted teeth.

"But that is not to say that others feel the same way. With alcohol involved, they may attempt to take advantage of her!"

"Exactly. We are her mates, and therefore we should be protecting her. I vote we make an excuse and go to the bar also"

The party was in full swing as Skye squared up too Daniel at the bar, a smug smirk on both their faces as they clutched the little shot glasses in their fists, both filled with raspberry sambuca.

"think you're man enough, Daniel?"

"we'll see. 3... 2... down in one!"

Skye necked her shot back with a slight grimace, slamming the little glass down and grinning in triumph as her friend gagged on the strong liquid. He really didn't stand a chance against the red head when it came too drinking. Her tolerance for alcohol was legendary in the little village. Daniel scowled in mock anger as she snickered at his failed attempt to match her, punching her lightly before linking his arm around her shoulder and ordering them both a Captain Morgans rum and coke.

"Hey, bitch! Isn't it enough that you have the attention of those three up in the cottage? you have to hog Danny as well"

Skye didn't even bother turning to face the voice, she knew who it was. Whitney, the hotels resident bitch and wannabe whore. Normally she avoided Skye like the plague, but it would appear that she'd grown a pair after a few drinks. Daniel sneered at the nickname, he hated it when people called him Danny

"oh please, even if Daniel wasn't sat here with me, he wouldn't go near you"

"What did you say? you wanna say that to my face, you slut!"

Skye let a bark of laughter pass her lips as she spun on her chair and faced the drunk woman, noticing the sudden fear in her muddy green eyes at the intense burning that lay within her own pale blue gaze. Clearly she hadn't thought Skye would actually turn to face her. Not many people knew Skye very well, but the general belief was not to get on her bad side.

"Rich words, coming from a girl who sleeps with anything that can be described as human and breathing. Tell me, how did your last visit to the STI clinic go?"

A few chuckles rang out around the bar as the girl flustered, a look in her eyes that told Skye that she'd hit a certain nerve. Her eyes focused on Whitney as the woman seemed to regain what little composure she had left thanks too the amount of booze she had consumed. Analyzing how her fists began to flex, the way her brow creased with anger and the look in her eyes that showed the woman was rapidly losing control of herself. Her mind began to process the outcome of the situation, the screamed insults falling on deaf ears as Skye stood from her seat. She would aim for her face first, an attempt to mar Skye's features, best to grip those wayward limbs and put them out of action for a while. In her state of shock, a swift dig to the stomach before a leg sweep to knock her over.

Daniel was worried as he watched his friend lift herself. Her body language was all too familiar. She was reading Whitney like an open book and waiting for the drunken woman to make the first move. Her arms folded behind her back and legs parted slightly, a blank expression on her face as she stared intently at the brunette. This wasn't going to end well. Not for Whitney at least. His eyes darted to the doors quickly, seeing the three from the cottage entering the bar, all watching Skye with a look of confusion at the empty expression she wore.

"You stupid cow, you're not even listening!"

There was a good reason not many people were brave enough to get aggressive with Skye. Whitney lashed out with her right fist first, eyes widening in terror as Skye caught it easily within her own palm, repeating her action as the woman sent her left fist flying. Skye zoned out at the sound of Whitney's screams of pain as she clenched down and the sound of her knuckles breaking could be heard. She'd brought it on herself, everyone knew that Skye was a dangerous enemy. She let go of the limbs, jabbing her fist into the woman's stomach before dropping into a crouch and swiping her leg out, sending the brunette backwards.

The brothers were shocked at what they had seen. The speed and precision of her movements had not seemed human, as if she had fore-told her opponents actions beforehand and acted accordingly.

"Get her back to the staff house to sober up. Her knuckles are broken so get an ice pack for the injury and call for a doctor once she's not a jibbering wreck... Anyone needs me, I'll be outside having a smoke"

She stormed past the brothers, a furious gleam in her eyes as she pulled the pack of Richmond SuperKing from her pocket. They followed, wanting to know what had happened, assess whether they should take their own actions upon the one that had angered their mate. But the sight of her fighting, almost as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her to do, had sent an intense feeling through their bodies. She had been vicious, fierce and, in Caius' opinion, very sexy.

"Mia Cara, what happened?"

"Nothing, just another idiot picking a fight they couldn't win"

They could never win. The thought made Skye sneer in anger. She just wanted to be left alone too evaluate her own mental state and put the mask firmly back in place. Unfortunately, these three just couldn't seem to grasp that as Aro spoke

"Let us take you some where quiet, so you may calm your nerves"

She spun on her heels, facing them with a look of deathly rage. Who did they think they were to treat her like some fragile little woman who'd just thrown a hissy fit. The mere idea that they thought her weak made Skye's blood boil hotter, they had no idea what she was capable of.

"I don't need you to take care of me! I've been alone long enough to know how to look after myself!"

She began to storm off, intent on finding some where that she could find peace, even if it meant standing in the middle of a field. She missed the saddened look in the brothers eyes at her outburst, even if her words had only been in anger, they still hurt. They watched as she continued to walk away from them, not even looking as she made to cross the road. She noticed too late the lights of the speeding car as she held her arms up in a vague attempt at protection.

The pain never came. Only the feeling of strong arms wrapping around her waist and the soothing voice of Marcus whispering in her ear.

"be careful... Mia amore"

Her eyes were wide in shock as she stared up at him, not making any attempt to detach herself from his embrace, how had he reached her so quickly?. The look in his violet orbs shattered the defenses she'd built high around her heart as she moved her gaze and looked at Aro and Caius also, their own expressions matching their brother's and sending an intense feeling through her heart at the sight of all three.

Love. She'd been taught that it was merely a chemical reaction within the human brain, caused by the presence of certain individuals that a person interacted with, giving the illusion of deep sentiment and caring that could extend to the desire too protect at all costs. But this felt like more than just a chemical imbalance in her own brain, this felt as though her very soul was alight with passion, singing with need for them. It felt like nothing Skye had ever experienced before and, in all truth, it scared the shit out of her.

"Clearly, you do need us. If you can't even take notice of a speeding vehicle"

Caius' voice was dead pan, an amused gleam in his eyes on his, otherwise, very serious face. But Skye payed little attention as she was lifted up and held in Marcus's arms, her senses returning too her and zoning in on an all too familiar feeling. The feeling of being watched, watched by him and his all seeing eye. Great, just what she needed.

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**Hey guys, so what did you think? like the update? Hope that it hasn't disappointed and I promise that the next update should be up in a few days. The truth about Skye's past is just on the horizon and so is her gift. Let me know your opinions so that I can continue to improve, thanks guys! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Skye frowned intently as she looked at the screen of her computer. With all the mounting evidence against the brothers, she had decided to start some research of her own and crack what ever little secret they were hiding from her. But, as the same word kept popping up, she had to admit she was a bit startled. After everything she had gone through in her life, she was pretty certain that very few things could truly rattle her. This, however, was a little different.

"I suppose... anything is possible"

Resting her head in her hands, she began too evaluate her options in this strange situation she found herself in. She could always go on the run, disappear and hope they would never find her. She scoffed at the idea, somehow she really didn't think they would let her go that easily. That only left option two. The sound of her mobile ringing on the bedside snapped her out of her thoughts as she placed the little device too her ear.

"Skye speaking"

"I trust that no one is tracking this call?"

Her breath hitched in her throat, the feel of her heart skipping a beat in shock. She should have known it woldn't be long before he got back into contact.

"You have my word, brother"

A deep laughter rang out over the phone and she couldn't hold back the small smile. She had always been fond of him, even when they fought alongside each other. They may not have shared blood, but he was her brother in all other aspects.

"You know that I can see you, sister. I would hope that you know what you are doing with those three?"

She glared at his words, tightening her grip on the phone slightly as she replied

"Haven't I told you not to spy on my personal life? Just leave such matters to me. I trust that you have been able to track down Celia?"

A frustrated sigh echoed down the phone as she change the subject. She had asked him to track down their comrade, an attempt too protect the weaker member of their team. Somehow, she didn't think it had worked.

"Forgive me, but they reached her first. When my sight fixed upon her, she was already dead. Along with the rest of the little family she had built for herself"

"Shit... How and why?"

She needed to know. If she knew then she could decide upon her own actions and act accordingly. The other line was silent for a moment and she knew he was choosing his words wisely.

"You know the rule. We must never speak out about what happened too us or what we were ordered to do. Celia broke that rule, telling her husband the truth and showing him her talent... They killed them both, making it look like a double suicide"

Those bastards. A snarl ripped from her lips at what he had told her, a grim expression across her face at the information, but it seemed he was not finished yet.

"I know what you intend to do... I would advice against it, but you have never been one to listen to warnings. I assume that you have solid evidence that they can handle the consequences for your actions? We are not all as resilient as you are, sister"

A dark chuckle passed her lips as she looked back at the computer screen, that word standing out like a neon light. And how Quaint of him too call her resilient, not quiet the word she would use for her little talents. She stood slowly, making her way towards the locked draw at her dressing table and pulling the key from the confines of her bra.

"If my suspicions are correct, then yes, I believe that they can survive what may come from what I tell them."

Her hand shook slightly as she opened the draw, a sickening feeling coursing through her stomach as she looked at the contents.

"And if they are not?"

"Then it wouldn't be the first time I've killed, would it?"

Hanging up, she hid the QSZ-92 in the inside pocket of her jacket, A stolen memory from her time in China. Not that she'd need it for the brothers if her suspicions were correct. She took a deep breath before leaving her room, emptying her mind of all thoughts other than her goal and steeling herself for what she was about to do.

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**Sorry this is such a short chapter, hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you too everyone who had reviewed and favorite/followed. The next chapter should be up in a few days :) enjoy and thanks guys :)**


	6. Chapter 6

The atmosphere in the cottage was intense, suffocating as the three kings tried too keep their minds occupied. Three days, three whole days since they had last seen Skye outside the bar and Marcus had saved her from being hit by the speeding car. It felt like hell not seeing her, yet knowing through their instincts that she was close by. They had allowed her the distance she needed, knowing that she was more than likely quite shaken by the events of that night, but it was proving to be a constant battle with their own minds not to simply steal her away and refuse her too leave.

"This can not continue, Aro. Her absence is driving me insane!"

Aro turned too his brother, giving Caius an understanding look. He wasn't alone in his feeling, but what could they do? She would not react kindly to them simply whisking her away too Volterra without any warning. Marcus had barely spoken in the past few days, convinced that his actions to save her had alerted the red head to the truth of their existence and that she now cowered from them. Some thing told Aro that this was not the case, she did not strike him as easily frightened, even by the likes of their own species.

The sound of the front door opening and shutting gently drew them from their musings, her scent hitting them in full force. She moved to stand in the doorway, looking at them all with a cold, unreadable expression that sent chills across their skin. With her intense features, the empty look in her eye and the dead tone of her voice as she spoke, she could quite easily be described as both sinister and deadly.

"I believe we need to talk"

She didn't break her gaze as she moved to sit at the dining table, pulling a chair away and taking a seat, legs crossed with her hands folded delicately across her lap. The brothers moved closer but didn't sit, something about this situation had them all on edge, unsure of what she would do.

"What is on you mind, Mia Cara?"

Her head cocked to the side slightly, appraising Marcus with an analytical gaze, reading him as she spoke.

"I don't like it when I feel that people are lying to me. And that is what you three have been doing. Your skin is cold and as death and un-naturally pale, you're extremely fast and, I'm pretty certain I have yet to see you take a breath. Now, would you care to tell me the truth about yourselves, why you are here and why you want to keep me so close all the time?"

Skye didn't miss the sudden stiffness in the brothers at her words, watching as Aro took a step closer with a look on his face that screamed that he was going to lie even further.

"We are simply on holiday, Skye. We are business men from Italy and we merely enjoy your company and desire to spend time with you. Is that so wrong, Mia Cara?"

A slow sigh passed her lips and, for a moment, the brothers believed that she had bought Aro's lie. She reached her hand into her inside pocket, did they really think she would buy that crap? She was trained to read past such things and see through deception. He was good, but not good enough to fool her. Her movements were quick as she pulled the gun from her jacket and placed it, tip down, against her thigh. Their expression was priceless as their eyes widened and they made to take the gun from her.

"Do not come closer. Do you think I am stupid? I can read you all like an open book... or, in Caius' case, like a brief pamphlet on anger management issues. So, I ask you again, what are you all hiding? Or do I have to motivate you to answer?"

In any other situation, Caius would have been vaguely offended by her reference to his temper. But, with their mate currently wielding a gun and a very unsettling aura around her, none of the three kings could really find anything amusing at that point. She seemed to know more than she was letting on, why else would she be pointing the gun at herself rather than them? But she was only human, she wouldn't actually pull the trigger. Right?

A twisted smirk came to her lips, demonic against her empty eyes as she turned her gaze upon Caius.

"you think I'm too cowardly to do it, Caius?"

The shot rang out across the room, the scent of her fresh blood hitting them all with its intoxicating, fiery aroma. They fought against their instincts to drain her, more shocked at the lack of noise she made. Any one would scream at that sort of pain. Yet she simply sat there, a slight grunt of pain and a gleam too her eyes the only signs that she felt anything. The bullet had passed clean through her thigh muscle, lodging into the hard wood flooring as blood oozed out and splattered around it. She closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep intake of breath before speaking once more, her voice grated and spoken in anger through gritted teeth.

"Tell me, now. I swear to god, I can and I will do far worse that shoot my leg"

Their eyes widened as she pulled the gun up to meet her skull, pressing it hard against her right temple. She was serious, Aro didn't need to read her thoughts to know she would do it. It was now or never, and in all honesty, he didn't think either he or his brothers could take much more of seeing their mate cause herself such pain. It felt like the worst form of torture, the mating bond screaming for them to stop her and check the wound, but knowing that if they made a wrong move, they could easily lose her. He took a single step forward.

"You question why our skin is so cold and pale, why we seem not to breath. You were witness too our speed the other night when Marcus saved your life. I know you have figured out our secret already, Mia Amore, so why do you persist with this course of action?"

"It is better to hear the truth from the one that is lying. I want to hear you say it"

He clenched his fists in slight irritation. Why did their mate have to be such a combination of all three of the kings? She masked her emotions perfectly, just like Marcus. She was intelligent and able to play her own mind games to suit her goal, just like Aro. But there was a deadly temper there that made her extremely unpredictable, just like Caius.

"Say it"

"We are vampires, Skye"

She knew she should have felt fear at this confirmation, should have tried to run for the hills with her bloodied leg. But she didn't, even knowing for certain what they were didn't relinquish her heart of the feelings these three gave too her. unparrallelled safety and an intense feeling of love. And besides, who was the real monster in this room? She was pretty certain it wasn't actually these three. But she wasn't finished with them yet, she still had one more, very important question to ask of them.

"We're finally getting somewhere... Now, why are you here? and, more importantly, Why do you insist on being so close to me?"

The gun was still pressed firmly to her temple as Caius chose to speak up. If they had been human in that moment, he was pretty certain that he and his brothers would have had a heart attack. What was she playing at? What sane person would shoot their own leg and look like nothing was going on?

"We are fond of you. That is all, Skye"

She rolled her eyes in annoyance, they were still trying to avoid telling her the truth. She readied her finger against the trigger, giving them all one last, empty, look.

"Not a good enough answer"

They couldn't move fast enough as she pulled the trigger, her blood spraying against the side wall and dripping down from the exit wound as she slumped forward and the gun fell with a thud from her now limp hand. A roar of sorrow ripped from Marcus' throat, not quite believing what had just happened. Caius and Aro were frozen in place, the immense grief washing over their minds as they looked at her corpse and moved to check her pulse, intent on biting her if there was any small chance she could be saved.

"How could she do this too us? Even as a human, a true mate could never cause such grief too their mate"

Aro could swear that his mind was being ripped in two at the tone his fair haired brother's voice. He sounded truly broken as they both looked at her body, unable to find a pulse.

Marcus frowned as his gift began to invade his thoughts, seeing the three golden bands linking he and his brothers too Skye. How? If she were dead then the bonds would have been severed and the three kings would have already fallen into a coma-like state. He raised his eyes as both Aro and Caius began to back away from Skye, the corpse flickering and fading before their eyes as a soft sigh resounded from the kitchen doorway.

"It's funny really, what our worst fears can reveal about ourselves. Care to tell me more about this whole 'true mate' thing?"

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**Hey guys, hope you liked the latest chapter and any feed back would be really appreciated. Next chapter will be about Skye's past and what her ability is. Hopefully have it posted within the week, thanks guys! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Time seemed to slow down as the kings moved their gaze towards the kitchen door, the sight of Skye leaning against the door frame, a perplexed frown across her face as she met their stares. The only evidence of what had just happened no more than a bloody stain against her thigh and a rip in her jeans where the bullet had passed through. But that was all. Her skin had healed over, leaving smooth caramel flesh. She noticed their stares and chuckled slightly

"What you just saw was an illusion, triggered just after I shot my thigh, your worst fears projected into reality... Now why would you fear my death if you were only 'fond' of me? and as for the absence of an injury on my leg, I believe it is called hyper regeneration. I heal at an astonishing rate."

She moved away from the door, getting closer to the brothers. She really did feel guilty for putting them through such an ordeal, but she hadn't known any other way to get the truth from them. Aro couldn't take his gaze from the woman, unsure of whether to feel anger at her behavior or express joy that she had displayed her gift and appeared unharmed. Skye pinched the bridge of her nose at their silence, maybe she'd traumatized them.

"Look, I'm sorry that I had to show you that, but you weren't coming clean with me and I didn't know what else to do... If it makes you feel any better, I'll repay the favor with my own honesty, anything you want to know. As long as you explain this whole 'true mate' thing to me."

Their ears picked up slightly at this, she would tell them anything? Caius was the first to regather his composure, closing the gap between himself and Skye. He smirked slightly at the little squeal of surprise she gave as he lifted her into his arms, moving them both into the living room and sitting on the sofa with her on his lap as his brothers came to join them. They revelled in the slight blush across her cheeks at the intimate position she found herself in, the way her heart rate became frantic as Caius drew his lips close to her ear, his words whispered as a sensual purr.

"A true mate is the highest form of bonding for a vampire, a rare gift that few are blessed too receive. The protection and well-being of the mate becomes the main concern of the vampire. If anything were to happen too them, if they were to die, then the vampire would be thrown into a coma like state that they would never awaken from. Too a vampire, nothing matters more than their mate... You are our true mate, all three of us. You belong too us completely, both in body and mind"

Skye felt frozen by his words. She didn't know if she could cope with this. It was one thing to be told you were the mate of one vampire, but being the mate of three was in a whole different league of worrying. They would expect her too let them take care of her without question. They would be over-protective and a little controlling. She'd never even been in a romantic 'human' relationship before and now fate had decided too throw a vampiric mating bond her way? As if her life wasn't already a complete mess. The feel of Aro's slender fingers holding her chin gently broke her thoughts, turning her to face him as her wide, confused eyes met his own dark, bloody red orbs. When had he removed his contacts?

"Rest assured, Mia Cara, you shall be punished for your stunt before. But such delicious prospects can wait for now, I believe that you owe us a number of answers"

A shiver ran up her spine at the incinuation that lay beneath his words, the way he turned her face slightly too expose her throat, ghosting his lips along her skin and inhaling her scent with a gentle growl at the delightful sensations the small interaction sent through his being. She bit back the moan that was building within her throat, forcing herself to refocus on the situation. How were they able too affect her so easily by doing so little? She could only imagine how she would be feeling once they actually began trying.

"What would you like to know?"

She wished her voice had sounded firmer, less like the breathy sigh of a woman fighting her own urges as Marcus moved to her side and began tracing soothing circles into the base of her back, a weak spot for her senses, as he spoke.

"Let us begin with your past. Aro has been unable to discover much through his gift"

She sent a look towards Aro, silently requesting an explanation of what Marcus had said. What did he mean by 'gift'?

"I am able to read every thought and memory a person has ever had with a single touch of skin. But I have been unable to see past the memory of blood and fire in your mind"

She was silent for a moment as she continued to stare at him, a none too impressed look on her face. So every time he had touched her hand, he'd been trying to read her mind? She'd be lying if she said she didn't feel a little violated.

"You know, most people would call that mind rape on an epic scale... I keep my past a secret for a lot of reasons, all of them very good... The only reason I'm going to tell you three is because I trust you and I believe that you will not suffer for the knowledge. Not too much anyway, vampires are very difficult to kill after all."

This caught the attention of the three kings. Why would speaking of her past lead to reproccussions? Skye let herself relax slightly, leaning back against Caius's firm chest and enjoying the way it felt to be like this with these three, not missing the contented purr that passed Caius' lips, his arms tightening around her waist by a fraction as Aro sent a jealous glare his way and Marcus rolled his eyes in annoyance at the smug smirk on the fair haired kings face.

"I suppose it is best to start from the beginning, if what you say is true and I am your mate, then it would be wrong of me to continue hiding anything about myself from you all"

Skye closed her eyes for a moment, letting the memories fill her mind and fighting back the urge to cringe. The brothers noticed that her body had suddenly stiffened as she began to speak.

"My Parents were originally from the Russian capital city, Moscow. My mother was a flourist and my father a mechanic. I only know that we moved too England not long after I was born because my father was offered a new job in the country... I don't really remember much else about them both, they died when I was six, a robbery on our house that went disastrously wrong, and I spent three years in care because we had no other family that I could be placed with. Both of them had been only children and my grandparents had died many years before"

"Being in care was awful. Everytime I thought that I would finally be placed with a family and allowed to rebuild my life, something would happen, usually they would see something that, at the time, my uncontrolled gift for illusions conjured up, and I'd be sent back to the social workers. Then one day, when I was nine years old, a man arrived at the office saying that he was looking for a number of children too take part in a government project. We were all given a series of tests, the usually stuff, intelligence, strength and speed. If any child passed these tests then he would take them with him. In the end, seven were chosen, and I was one of them after passing both the strength and intelligence tests"

She leaned forward slightly, intent on proving her point as she raised her fist above the coffee table and slammed it back down, shoving the limb through the wood like it was butter.

"For the first week, every thing seemed fine. We were still put through numerous tests to monitor our various attributes but it didn't bother us too much, we were all just happy to be out of the home. But it all changed one morning when we, all seven of us, were seperated and led into a lab room... I was terrified when they forced me onto the cold steel table, strapping me in. I tried to kick my way free, I could hear the screams of the others at their own fear. That's when I saw the syringe, filled with a strange looking liquid that glistened in the flourescent lights of the lab"

Skye was shaking slightly at the memory of that day, the three kings seeing the growing distress in their mates eyes as Marcus stole her from Caius' arms and began trying to sooth her, holding her tight against his chest as she took deep, calming breaths. She'd barely told them anything and the three were already beginning to feel anger bubbling inside their minds at what these people had done to Skye.

"They never said what it was called, only explained that it would enhance the most dominant aspects of our beings... It felt like I was being ripped open and set on fire from the inside when they injected it into my system. It took two days for the serum to complete it's work on us, by that point I had passed out from the pain... Out of the seven children chosen for the experiment, only four survived. Our names were stripped from us and we were known only as subjects one, three, six and seven. I was subject seven"

"The serum affected us all in different ways, none of us were the same. Subject one was able to completely mask his prescence, his speed unmatched, making him the perfect silent assassin. Subject three had, what I can only describe as, an all seeing eye, he could focus his vision upon any event or area that he was requested or desired too, making him perfect for stratergy planning. Subject six was the weakest of our team, physically and emotionally, but she could shift her appearance too suit her circumstances, making her the perfect decoy and spy for any mission."

Skye smiled sadly as she thought about these three. The memories were painful but, as a team, they had all been close, knowing that they only truly had each other in the end.

"And then there was me, subject seven. The formula had strengthened my illusions and given me control as well as enhancing my desire to survive, resulting in my talent for rapid healing. I was trained for interrogation, showing my victims their worst fears and most horrific nightmares too attain the information that we required at the time. But due to my healing and physical strength, I was also trained in combat and in the use of weapons, sent into the field on a number of occassions."

"We were all sixteen or older when we began working for the governement, contract killers sold off too which ever regime was willing to pay. If an election needed rigging, subject three would be sent out. If a political rival in some country needed to be disgraced, subject six was sent to put him into some precarious situation. If an assassination needed to be carried out then they would send out subject one. We were rarely commissioned as a team. The only time was a mission in China. We were sent to take out a terrorist uprising that had begun to form in the country and I had been ordered to carry out the seige on the hide out"

Skye pulled away from Marcus at this point, standing between the three kings as she began to pull her shirt up enough too expose her back. Caius let a snarl of anger rip from his throat as a long, jagged scar was revealed, maring the, otherwise, perfection of her back.

"The only problem was that it had been a set up, orcastrated by the Chinese government after rumours of our team began too surface. When I entered the hostile enviroment, I was caught by surprise and knocked out. Taken hostage and kept in seclusion for a week with no food and very little water before they began too interrogate me, my healing ability weakened by my lack of sustanance. This was the only wound I have never been able to completely heal and, if i'm honest, I don't want too. It's a very clear reminder of what I have done in my life"

"I never broke my silence, waiting for the oppotunity too escape, knowing that eventually they would grow too confident in their hold over me... When the day came, they left me alone with a single guard, still finding new ways too torture me. He got too close, about to slice the lobe off my ear, and I bit into his throat... The gun that I used today was his, I stole it too aid my escape... But as messed up as it sounds, being interrogated is not my worst memory of the past. I soon returned to work, what else could I do when I had never known any other life?"

"I was sent back out on mission after being assessed by the medical team, partnered with subject three and one too sort out a hostage situation at a school. This is my worst memory, because during the seige... I shot a child in friendly fire whilst trying too take down one of the mercenaries... I still have nightmares about her even now. Not long after, we were disbanded, rumours about what we were and how we had been 'created' becoming too much of a problem. They chose not too kill us on the condition that we would never utter a word of what we had done or how we came to be what we are... Subject six recently broke this rule and died for it, along with her husband... I'd never have told you three if you had been only human, but I have faith in the knowledge that you will be safe"

She gave a sad smile as she looked at each of the brothers. She'd have to learn fast how to cope with this whole mating bond situation, but she got the feeling it would be worth it. The only problem she really had now was keeping track of any threats her old life could now hold. They always had means of keeping tabs on the subjects.

"do you still keep in contact with the remaining two?"

She gave a quick nod too Aro's question, grinning slightly at the thought of her recent conversation with subject three.

"of course, myself and three have always been close. He saved my life with his gift on many occassions and I've taken a fair few beatings to look after him on the few times he was brought into combat. He's like a brother to me. sadly, however, I do not know where he is now. We don't really know where subject one is anymore either, he decided to travel the world and find his own way of escaping, but we know he's alive and well so that's enough for us"

She sat back on the couch, feeling slightly guilty again for lying about the where abouts of subject three. Of course she knew where he was, but she didn't want to risk dragging him into her mess. An impish grin formed on her face as she took in the appearance of the brothers, there were still some minor details that she wanted to know.

"so, if you guys are vampires, does that mean you freak out at the sight of garlic? Run ten miles at the thought of a stake through the heart? I suppose it would explain why you guys never go out in the sun and always have the curtains closed"

The three kings shared a look, all of those things were myths created by mortals too make vampires a little less frighening. The idea that a vampire could easily be defeated by throwing a lump of garlic in his face was highly laughable. But did they really want to show their mate what they looked like in the sun light? It was hardly fitting for the three most powerful vampires in creation. But she had kept too her word and told them what they had asked for, they were beyond the point of lying now. Aro moved towards the covered window, not exactly delighted that he would be the on too demonstrate.

"No, Mia Amore, all of those things are falsehoods. And as for our aversion too the sun, it is merely that we do not take much joy in it's effects upon our skin"

With that, he threw the curtain open, letting the sunlight wash over him as Skye's eyes widened at the sight of him. His skin looked like a million shimmering diamonds, truly beautiful in how they glittered in the weak scottish sun. Unfortunately, Skye's mind seemed to process the information differently as a little giggle passed her lips before she fell into full hysterics, her head falling against the back of the sofa as Aro sent a mildly offended look her way and his brothers looked at her with utter confusion.

"I'm so sorry. I swear I'm not laughing at you, Aro, but I've just revealed myself to be a walking, talking weapon of war and nightmares and you have shown me that vampires are walking, talking disco balls! Bram Stoker would be spinning in his grave"

She continued to laugh, small tears coming too her eyes as she closed her eyes in mirth, not noticing that the curtain had been closed and she now had three vampires very close too her, all with a feral look in their eyes as they took in the sight of the bags underneath her own eyes. She screamed in shock as Aro lifted her up and began to carry her towards one of the cottage's bedrooms, unsure of what he was up too until he placed her down carefully and the three of them sat on the edge of the bed.

"you seem tired, Skye, I know that you do not sleep well but you must try. Your health is now our concern. Do not fear, we shall not leave you"

She hadn't even realised how exhausted she felt, the days events having pushed the notion of sleep from her thoughts. A small yawn passed her lips as she fell back into the pillows, a look of worry in her drooping eyes as she spoke

"Will you wake me up if I start having a nightmare?"

"Of course, little love"

With Marcus's reassuring words and Caius' fingers gently stroking her hair out of her face, she was lulled into a deep sleep. The last thought in her mind before succumbing too the bliss of a dreamless sleep was that, perhaps, this whole 'being the mate of three vampires' thing wouldn't be so bad after all.

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**So what did you think of the chapter? Things are going to start heating up for Skye now, the dangers of her old life starting to surface and coping with the three kings now that she knows the truth. Hopefully you will all continue too enjoy the story, any feed back on the chapter would be great and I hope to have the next chapter up in a few more days. **

**Also, a huge thank you to everyone for reviewing and favorite/following :) hopefully I don't disappoint any of you with what I write.**


	8. Chapter 8

She couldn't move. Her wrists bound tight around the flimsy wooden chair as they continued to inflict their pathetic idea of torture upon her flesh. A scalpel dragged across her stomach, not hard enough to cut too deeply, but enough to cause her pain. Her back was bleeding heavily from the deep, grotesque valley they had carved into her skin, starting at the joint of her right shoulder and arm, ending at the curve of her left side hip. That one wouldn't heal any time soon, she was too fatigued and dehydrated to consider healing it fully whilst managing the numerous other injuries they had inflicted, the effort alone would probably be the end of her.

"Who sent you?... Who created a creature who can withstand such physical damage?"

She lifted her head to look into the eyes of the man in front of her. The Chinese head of military, if she recognized the uniform well enough. A grimace twisted along her gaunt face as she spoke, her words void of any underlying emotion. He wasn't worth the effort of her pretending to be afraid.

"Screw you... Arse monkey"

She'd never betray her team. They would have to kill her before that happened. His face became warped with a viscous, angry snarl as his palm lashed out and struck across her cheek, the momentum of the slap forcing her face to the side.

"Is that the best you've got? I've met children with harder fists than you"

Her words were taunting as he marched from the cell, barking orders for her torture to continue and for all means to be used to obtain the information they desired. Any sane person would have kept quiet and, more than likely, have cracked after a month of this treatment. But after six months, Skye was still holding out against her captors. Her eyes scanned the lone man that remained to carry out the task, they were growing too confident if they believed he would be enough to stop her. Skye could be described as many things, but predictable was not one of those descriptions.

She never took her eye off him as he retrieved the little scalpel from the tool tray, seeing the perverse look of joy on his face as he moved back towards her. He was enjoying this more than he should have been.

"You may not live to regret your silence... not once I'm through with you"

He drew closer, preparing his hand too remove the lobe of her left ear. Skye's eyes sparkled with a fresh fire as she lunged forward, her teeth sinking into the mans jugular and forcing her jaw to clamp tighter as he began to spasm, the scalpel falling from his grasp with a little clatter. She refused to let go until, at last, the man became limp and she spat his blood from her mouth, looking down at the corpse

"Well, you didn't live to find out, did you?"

She forced her shaking legs to stand, evaluating the strength of the chair she was bound too before ramming herself backwards into the wall. The chair splintered beneath the force of her movement, allowing her to access the rope that held her wrists, tugging with her teeth until the knots began to loosen and unravel before she began to rifle through the dead man's jacket, pocketing his gun and making her escape attempt.

Skye's eyes snapped open as the feel of hands gently shaking her roused her from her sleep. She blinked a few times, force of habit too reassure herself that she was not back in the cold cell with nothing but an old gun for protection. Pulling herself up into a sitting position, she met the concerned eyes of each of the brothers. Marcus appeared to be the one who had awoken her, his hand still resting against her shoulder as both Aro and Caius stood in the doorway.

"Are you well, dearest?"

His soft spoken words, the wonderful feeling of comfort, peace and love that he seemed to radiate towards her soothed her thoughts as she offered a small smile towards him.

"Not the worst nightmare I've had so far, I'll be fine. Thank you for waking me up, Marcus"

The sound of his name spoken from her lips sent a surge of joy through Marcus' mind as he pressed his lips gently against her forehead before moving towards the end of the bed and allowing his brothers to get a little closer too their mate, their own concern evident on their faces as she tried to reassure them both that everything was definitely all right. She allowed her eye to stray slightly towards the little bedside clock on the side-table, a look of complete horror on her face as the neon numbers read 8:36 AM.

"Oh shit!... I'm late, Daniel is going to have my head for this!"

She began to wrestle with the duvet, what had once been her friend now intent on trapping her within it's comfy, warm goodness. The brothers watched on in amusement as she freed her limbs and tried to jump from the bed, not finding much entertainment when she missed her footing and stumbled, hitting her head with a sharp thud against the bedside table in the process of her fall. Aro was the first too react as he bolted too her side, checking the point of impact as she let a string of expletives flow from her mouth.

"What ever is the rush, Skye? What could be of such importance that you would throw yourself around in such a manner?"

Skye winced slightly at the feel of Aro's cold fingers against the sore point on her head. It wouldn't last long but it still hurt like hell. She gave him a brief look at his question, there was a very good reason to be rushing, at least in her mind there was.

"It's mine and Daniel's day off. We made arrangements to meet up at 8:00 AM... Daniel hates it when people are late, especially me."

Caius could feel the growing surge of jealousy burning through his mind at the mention of Skye having plans with another man. What could possibly be so special about this one other man that she would rush to meet him, abandoning the idea of a day with her mates.

"And what would you be planning? I don't think I like the idea of you being alone with another man"

Skye's eye twitched as she forced herself away from the fussing grasp of Aro and squared up too Caius, forced to recline her head slightly at the realization that she only reached his upper chest in height. She understood that they would be feeling an intense mixture of emotions towards her, that they would behave with mistrust and jealousy towards any male that they believed was too close to her. But she would be damned if that included Daniel.

"You listen to me, and you listen good. Daniel is my best friend, he's been my only link to sanity since I came to this hotel. I don't know whether you think that, because of this bond that we all seem to share, my fondness towards him is some underlying sexual desire, but that sure as hell isn't it."

Caius looked ready to blow at the bluntness of her words, fighting against his natural instinct to exact some form of physical, none too pleasant, punishment upon her as she continued to meet his gaze with equally angry eyes as she continued to speak

"And besides, I'm hardly Daniel's type"

She smirked at the confused look he sent her as she pushed past and made her way towards the front door, the brothers following her as Caius sent a fresh barrage of emotion her way.

"And why would he not find you attractive? Does he insult our mate by not appreciating your beauty?"

His mood swings were going to give her whiplash if he continued like this. One minute it was her that had elicited his rage with bogus thoughts that she would choose another man over her, fate chosen, mates. And now he was seething over the idea that this other man didn't actually want her at all?

"Seriously, what is your damage? Daniel isn't interested in me because Daniel isn't interested in women full stop. We're meeting up because the community is holding a fund-raising talent show for 'Children In Need' and we've been asked to do an act for it"

With that said, she stormed off, slamming the door behind her as hard as she could. How dare Caius act as if he had any say over who she spent time with, how dare he treat her like she belonged only too himself and his brothers. She gave an annoyed sigh as it hit her. Too their mind, she did belong only to them in all ways. They would keep her chained to their side for eternity if they could, unwilling to allow any other person close to her for fear that she would be hurt or stolen away. It was sweet, in a strange, slightly obsessive and worrying way, But she'd have to get them to give some freedom if she wanted the four of them to make this situation work.

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**Hey everyone, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wanted to give a little more about Skye's past so let me know what you all think. The next chapter will be with Skye and Daniel, showing how close they are.  
**

**A huge thank you again to everyone who has reviewed and favourite/followed. Please continue to enjoy the story, I've got a lot planned for the upcoming chapters so hopefully I won't disappoint you all. Thank you guys! :)  
**


	9. Chapter 9

As Skye came hurtling around the corner leading too her room, the sight of a clearly irate Daniel met her vision. He was leaning against the door, his arms folded across his chest as he sent his most disapproving glare in her direction. Only two people could make Skye feel full blown guilt with a single expression, Subject three and Daniel. She held her hands up in mock surrender as she gave an apologetic smile and tried to explain.

"I'm so sorry, Daniel. I went up to the cottage to speak with those three last night and ended up falling asleep"

He raised a single eyebrow at her words, giving a slight sniff of his nose in irritation

"Oh, I bet you only ended up 'falling asleep'. With three of them none the less... that's beyond the realm of kinky"

Her jaw dropped at what he was referring too, but she didn't miss the slight glint of amusement in his eyes as he lifted from his position and came to stand in front of her. Daniel knew Skye better than most, he knew that she had stronger than normal feelings for these three but that she would never simply sleep with them at the drop of a hat just based on those emotions. It was just too entertaining to tease her.

"So tell me, were they good? You don't have a limp so I guess they were gentle. Surprising, the blond strikes me as a BDSM lover"

Skye felt like she was about to have a fit as Daniel began chuckling at the vibrant blush across her cheeks. If only she could tell him the truth about what had happened last night, tell him that she had been thrown into the deep end with three vampires she barely knew. Not that he could give her much advice to help like he usually would, it was hardly a normal situation and she really didn't want to drag him into her mess, he was already involved more than she would have liked. To make things worse, she would have to be taken away from him when the brothers decided it was time to return to Italy, forced to leave her best friend behind... Unless she could convince the three that Daniel would be of use to them as a vampire.

"It's nothing like that! I swear I only fell asleep after staying up too late talking to them!"

Her clear embarrassment only made Daniel laugh harder as he tousled her hair affectionately before the two made their way into Skye's bedroom and he began setting up the docking station to play the song they had chosen to perform. He stole glances at her as he carried out his task, she was like a sister to him and one of the few that knew about his sexuality. It was something that he loved the most about the little red head, she was never quick to judge another person, she reserved her opinion until she had perfect evidence to back up her judgement. She was always there for him when he needed her the most.

But, whilst there was no denying their friendship, Daniel knew that Skye didn't always tell him everything and today seemed like another case of her hiding things from him. She sat on the bed, her cheerful mask long gone and replaced by a look of confusion, worry and sadness. He didn't know why but he knew that it had something to do with her time with the brothers.

"I know that you care for them, Skye. And maybe, in time, you'll fall in love with them. But something about those three just doesn't sit right with me... You've never been one to listen to warnings but please, just be careful"

"It's gone too far, Daniel... I barely know them but I'm in deeper than I ever imagined I'd be, a taboo relationship with three men. And when they decide that it's time to return to Italy..."

She didn't need to finish her sentence for Daniel too understand. When those three were gone, then Skye would be too. Gone from the hotel and gone from his life. It angered him to think that these three 'perfect' strangers would steal away the only person Daniel had ever really cared about. But Skye would be happy with these three, he just knew it. Once she had learned to forget the past and acknowledge the fact that she wasn't a bad person and that she never had been. Could he really deny her true happiness just because he would miss her?

"You have to do what's right for you... If I were you, then I'd go with them because it would be what was best for your happiness and that's what's important, forget the fact that it's a taboo relationship. If your heart tells you it's right, then it is. Don't get me wrong, I'd miss you but there's always ways for us to stay in contact"

Skye felt like she could cry at his words but she held them in, knowing he would tease her sudden show of weakness, settling with a tight hug as she thanked him for not trying to sway her decision in his favour. The question still stood, however, of how she would avoid having to be separate from him when the time came. She really didn't think she'd survive without him, he was her best friend and her brother. They'd been through more together than anyone would ever guess, and three vampires weren't about to split them up.

Shaking herself mentally and smiling brightly, she freed Daniel of the hug and began shuffling through their playlist until she found the song they had chosen. After her night with the three brothers and the revelation of her connection with them, she wanted to make a few changes to the act.

"I was thinking that, instead of us both singing, you could sing and I'll dance... You know, spice things up a bit, shock a few people and have a little fun"

Daniel flustered slightly at the mischievous glint in those lightning orbs, knowing full well how she intended to spice things up and why she wanted to do it. Skye was a brilliant dancer, that wasn't where the problem lay. It was her genre of dancing that could possibly raise a few eyebrows. But if she would be leaving not long after, what harm could it do?

"Fine, but nothing too raunchy... I could do without any complaints coming to the hotel because you gave some of the locals and the guests a heart attack"

Her laughter rang out like a beautiful bell as the two stopped talking and began with their practising. They only had two weeks left and, now that Skye had changed the plan, she had to create a whole new dance routine to go with their song as well as making sure she spent time with Aro, Marcus and Caius. She got the feeling that these three would not like it if she appeared to be ignoring them.

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**So what did you think of the update? I was aiming to show that these two had an extremely close relationship so let me know what you think. Thanks everyone :)**


	10. Chapter 10

When Skye had arrived at the cottage, she really didn't think that her mood could have gotten any worse. Her day by that point had been awful. First, one of the guests had all but destroyed one of the rooms, there had been mud trodden deep into the cream carpet, toothpaste all over the bathroom mirror, ornaments broken and, to top it all off, some very ominous stains on the bed that she really didn't want to question the origin of.

Then Whitney, the only person in the entire hotel that Skye could honestly say she didn't like, had turned out to be spreading rumours about her relationship with the three from the cottage. Telling anyone that would listen that she was sleeping with them for money and that she was, behind the innocent act, nothing more than a gold digging whore. Thankfully not many people listened to Whitney, but that hadn't stop her from confronting the brunette and striking the fear of god into her.

And now, what should have been a chance for her to unwind and get to know the three brothers a little better whilst watching a movie had escalated into an argument between Aro and Caius.

"And what makes you think that she would wish to sit with you, Aro? I am the clear choice amongst us"

"Oh please Caius. Clearly you are just jealous that she would choose the seat closest to myself"

Skye didn't know whether to laugh at the silliness of it all or scream in sheer frustration. With everything going on in her life, the day she had had and the fact that she had not slept well in her own room the previous night, she really didn't need their childish jealousy giving her a migraine. She had thought that she could rely on Marcus to help calm the two down but had been proven wrong when, with one quick glance to the stoic vampire, she had found him sulking kn his armchair and sending venomous glares of his own jealousy at his brothers. He may have been acting like the more mature of the three by staying out of the fight, but he looked every bit as childish in his silent tantrum.

"At least I do not invade her mind every time I touch her! You would only make her feel uncomfortable!"

"Oh well done, you're the only one here without a gift"

Caius' face warped with an angry snarl as he launched at his brother, clearly the mention of his lack of ability had hit a sore nerve in his mind. Skye's blood pressure was reaching through the ceiling as she took one last, hopeful glance towards Marcus for help. No such luck as he continued to sulk and she realised that she would have to find a way to calm the two by herself.

"Both of you! Stop acting like a pair of gorillas or I will leave and go back to my room"

If she hadn't felt so angry, she would have found it quite comical as the two froze mid-fight and turned to look at her with an expression that screamed of two children that had just been reprimanded. Caius had Aro's head firmly in a head lock whilst the raven haired vampire had his fist poised to jab the other in the stomach.

"Good. Now Caius, let go of Aro's head and both of you step apart"

The two did as they were told, Aro sending a sharp dig at Caius' arm as Skye sent him a look of warning. Really, she had to question just how mature these three really were. The feel of her mobile vibrating within her pocket cut short any further reprimand as she pulled the device free and looked at the screen before answering.

"Now isn't a good time. Whatever you wanted to say, can it wait?"

The brothers were staring at her as she pinched the bridge of her nose and turned away from them slightly. There was no point trying to look for some privacy away from the brothers, their superior hearing and the simple fact that they would just follow her making it a pointless notion.

"I wish it could wait, subject seven. But this is important"

The mention of her former title had the three kings edging closer. She sighed as she flopped down onto the plush sofa, resting her head in her hand in exasperation, her day really was turning into one of the worst she had ever known.

"Fine. What news do you have on their movements, subject three?"

"They are coming. They have found out about your conversation with those three and are now on the move too remove you from the equation"

Skye felt frozen, she had known it would happen but not so soon. The brothers had heard his words also as they began to look between themselves frantically, whispering too quietly for her to hear.

"How did they find out? Nobody here knows about us and I already did a thorough background check to make sure that there was nobody undercover, keeping tabs"

"That dog tags around your neck... I did a quick analysis of my own tags. They contain nano-technology used to track our location and monitor what we say, picking up on any hint that we may betray the secret. They were listening in on your conversation. But it only responds to the voice of the subjects, your three vampires are safe... For now"

Skye felt the blood drain from her face as she took the little silver tags into her shaking palm, ripping them from her throat in horror as she began to realise, she had never been free from the past. It had not only haunted her dreams but spied on her life without her even noticing. She felt sick.

"But what about all our conversations? Have they also been tracked and monitored?"

"No. The radiofrequency emitted from our mobiles interferes with the functions of the nano-technology, causing a brief disturbance in the connection between the tags and their data collection. But you mustn't destroy the tags Skye. If you do then they will suspect something and heighten their desire to kill you"

She gritted her teeth as she looked down at the small pieces of metal, wanting nothing more than to crush them beneath her heel.

"What would you have me do with them?"

"Place them within your room, so that they believe you are still there and find a safe place to stay until they make their first move... Pass me over to one of those three, I wish to speak with them quickly"

She gave a look of confusion towards the little device before passing it over too Aro, shrugging her shoulders when he sent a questioning look her way, placing the mobile too his ear.

"Hello... Aro"

His eyes widened at the mention of his name, having to take a moment to remember what Skye had told them about this man. He could see them from where ever he was, he was keeping tabs on them all to protect Skye so it was only natural that he would know his name.

"I am trusting you too protect her. She is my sister and my best friend, do not let her from your sight and if all three of you cannot be with her, then make sure that at least one if you is at all times, I will make arrangements to remove her from duty at the hotel. I warn you, if I see that she has been injured in any way, I am a lot closer than you think and I can do more damage to you than you would give me credit for"

With that, the line went dead and the three were left staring at the mobile in shock, uncertain of how to react to the sheer bluntness of the man on the phone. But he was correct, with these fresh developments, it was clear that they would need to up their security on their mate. It would appear that it was the right time to call for a few members of the guard.

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**So subject three is back in the picture and things are about to get messy at the hotel in the next few chapters, as well as, hopefully, a little funny with the entrance of the guard. Let me know what you think of the update and I promise to have a fresh update as soon as possible. Thanks guys and happy reading :)**


	11. Chapter 11

Skye felt here eye twitch at the sight before her. Aro had promised that he would only call for a few of his coven members, so that she didn't feel suffocated by the presence of too many vampires, all keeping a close eye on her and making sure she was well protected.

She couldn't help but think that he'd gone a little over the top. There was four of them, all filing into the cottage and standing too attention in front of the three brothers. Why had they needed so many? When, surely, her three mates should have been enough. Apparently not. It hadn't even made a difference to the three vampires when she had insisted that she could handle herself perfectly well, considering she had been trained in weaponry from a young age, been in some of the most hostile situations a person could think of and escaped torture in China. None of these facts had made a blind bit of difference in Aro's decision.

"Mia Amore, allow me to introduce the elite of the Volturi guards. First, we have Felix. He is Caius' personal body guard and also believed to be the strongest vampire, physically, in creation"

The man names Felix smiled charmingly as she looked at him, feeling dwarfed by the colossal height of the man as he gave a slight bow. He must have been about 6ft 8 inches tall compared to her meagre height of 5ft 6 inches.

"The masters have told us much about you, my lady. Is it true that you have hyper regenerative abilities?"

She felt slightly sheepish at his question. She'd never really thought that either of her abilities were a good thing or something to boast about, so finding out that the brothers had been speaking about such things made her feel a little unsettled. She looked too Aro quickly, her hands fidgeting with nerves, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically shy. He gave her a slight nod of encouragement, all three of the kings smiling fondly at their mate, secretly startling the four guards. Never had they seen such open displays of positive emotion from their kings, especially Marcus. Having Skye in the coven could only prove to be a good thing in their minds.

"Yes... It's saved my life on a number of occasions"

"So if I cut your arm off, it would grow back?"

Felix's question had everyone staring at him in disbelief, a look that screamed 'are you serious?'. Skye felt any drop of shyness drain from her as she looked at him.

"Do I look like a salamander? You cut my arm off, I lose a limb! Unless you're going to be the one to hold it back in place whilst the tendons, nerves and the severed bones and muscles reconstruct and rejoin"

It had been an incredibly stupid question but, as Felix grinned even wider at her reply, she found herself unable to hold back her own chuckle of amusement. Something about the giant man made her like him, almost as if she were looking at a brother that she had known all her life.

"Moving swiftly on"

The three kings were each sending a rather pointed look towards Felix as Marcus spoke. Skye couldn't quite understand why the giant had a sudden look of concern in his eyes, almost as if he were afraid of the three brothers. What would such a colossal man have to fear if he possessed the strength that they credited him for?

"Next, we have Demetri. He is my own personal body guard and also the best tracker amongst our kind. Once he has the tenor of your mind, there is nowhere on this earth that you can hide. He will always find you"

At Marcus' words, the second man stepped forward. He must have been at least a head shorter than Felix but he was clearly just as well built. He was smiling softly as he took Skye's hand within his own, bowing low before placing a kiss against the knuckle.

"An honour to meet you at last, my lady. You are even more lovely than I could have imagined"

Skye felt her cheeks light up at his smooth tone of voice and actions, clearly he was a bit of a lady's man. The sound of an enraged growl rumbling within Caius' throat caused Demetri to step back as Skye turned to look at him.

"Be careful who you speak such flattery too, Demetri. Or did you forget who she is the mate of?"

He had moved to stand behind Skye, his broad frame shadowing her petite figure as he placed his hands on her shoulders and glared menacingly towards Demetri. Skye sent him an apologetic smile, relieved that he didn't seem offended by the fair haired brothers behaviour. If anything, he seemed used to it.

"And finally, we have Jane and Alec, the twins. They are both Aro's personal body guards and, due to their rather... deadly... abilities, they are both classed amongst the most dangerous of our species. Jane is able to create the illusion of unimaginable pain in a person's mind, whilst Alec is able to cut off all senses and, ultimately, paralyze an opponent"

At the mention of the two vampires gifts, Felix and Demetri gave a slight shudder. Skye got the impression that both men had been on the receiving end on more than one occasion. The girl that stepped forward could not have been any older than fourteen when she had been turned, her lovely golden hair held up in a tight bun, only a shade or two lighter than her brothers hair, and wide ruby eyes set upon a perfectly pale, unblemished face. She and her brother could have made even the Botticelli angels weep in jealousy at their beauty.

"My queen, we swear to protect you from the threats that the masters have briefed us on..."

"Rest assured, we shall not fail, my queen"

Skye wanted to laugh slightly as Alec completed his sisters sentence, earning a look of mock annoyance from the young girl. It didn't take a genius to see that the two were extremely close.

"Thanks... I'm sorry that you all got dragged into this... Wait, why are you calling me 'queen'?"

Their words had dawned on Skye as she sent a confused look towards each of the brothers, not liking how each of them avoided her gaze and pretended to be looking at something else. What had they not told her?

"Did the masters not tell you, mistress? The Volturi is viewed as the royal family of the vampire race, it is the largest and the most powerful of all the coverns. As the leaders of the coven , your mates are the three kings that reign over all of our kind, passing down punishment for any crimes and enforcing the rules that have been in effect for thousands of years. As their mate, upon your change, you will become their queen"

Skye felt like screaming blue murder at Demetri's words. How could they have failed to mention something like that? They weren't just vampires, but the god damned kings! She turned slowly to face the three fully, an aura of high annoyance surrounding her as she noticed that they were still not looking at her.

"I thought we agreed! No more secrets on either side. What the hell made you omit this little detail?"

"We forgot"

Caius had to be kidding? How could they forget that they were royalty! She gave a disgruntled groan passed her lips as she pointed an accusing finger at the three kings, not noticing the amused looks in the four guards eyes at the sight of a human reprimanding their leaders.

"We'll talk about this later, understood? I've got to go and meet Daniel for tonight's talent show. If you three don't turn up, at 8pm at the community hall, then not only will you have pissed me off by hiding information from me, but you'll have hurt my feelings for not coming and seeing my act. Got that?"

She turned on her heels, stomping towards the front door as a mumbled 'Yes, my love' came from her mates. They really didn't like the fact that the guard had seen how much sway the little human woman held over them all. But what could they expect? The mere thought that they had upset their true mate would make any vampire feel a little sheepish.

"Mistress, what will your act entail?"

Skye looked over her shoulder at the sound of Alec's voice, starting to feel annoyed at how formal the guards were behaving with her.

"Guys, seriously, just call me Skye and drop all the 'mistress' and 'my queen' crap. And my act is going to be a singing and dancing routine. Daniel is singing and I'm dancing... Burlesque"

With that said, she had bolted out of the door and away from the cottage, leaving the three kings to stare in shock at where she had stood before going into a frenzy of jealousy and slight panic. Their mate would be doing a burlesque routine... In front of others and they would have to tolerate it.

Felix was grinning madly as he nudged Demetri in the arm, gaining the others attention.

"I think I like that girl"

"She'll certainly spice things up back in Volterra"

Jane rolled her eyes as she gave the two men a swift whack, watching as her brother attempted to calm their leaders. She smirked as they both clutched their arms in mock pain.

"You're both complete idiots"

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**So that was chapter eleven :) Hope you all enjoyed it. Coming up in the next update, Skye and Daniel's performance, a steamy moment between Skye and the three kings as well as disaster at the hotel.**

**A huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed and favourite/followed. Keep letting me know what you think of the story so far and I promise that a fresh update will be up as soon as possible.**

**Thanks again everyone :) Happy reading! X**


	12. Chapter 12

The air was thick within the community hall as the brothers stood amongst the shadows, their guard close by as they mingled with the crowd. The scent of the blood flowing through the veins of the humans that surrounded the three kings hung like a veil around them, taunting their instincts with the knowledge that they could not take a victim. It had been a wise decision for them to feed not long before arriving.

"So you actually came?"

Skye was smiling brightly as the brothers turned to face her. She looked completely different from how she usually looked. Her hair was held up in a neat tail, her left eye covered by the sweeping strands of her fringe. Instead of the usual skinny jeans and tank tops she always wore for comfort, she wore a black silk blouse with the top three buttons left open to show a small amount of cleavage and a tight fitting pencil skirt that framed the luscious curve of her backside. Finished with the pair of costume glasses, pale pink lip gloss and smoky eye shadow, she looked like a sexy secretary. This outfit could only have been a part of her upcoming routine.

There was a mischievous glint in her eye as she gave a slight twirl, showing remarkable balance on the high heeled shoes she wore and proving that she was no stranger to dressing up. She could see the lust building within the three kings eyes as they scanned over her body a final time and, as punishment for holding back on their identities earlier, she was going to make them squirm.

"What do you think? Do I look okay?"

She ducked out of the way as Caius moved to grip her waist, intent on pulling his mate closer to him as she wiggled her finger in mock disapproval, giving a small chuckle when he scowled at being denied his desire. A low growl rumbled within his throat as she continued to smirk, watching as Aro struggled against his own self control and Marcus flexed his hands by his side.

"You look... Delicious, dearest"

Aro's purred words sent a shiver up her spine as he gave her a devilish look, revealing his pent up desires. She had to get back to Daniel soon, do some final checks for their routine but, recently, she'd been finding it harder to want to leave the three brothers, like she craved their company.

"I... I have to go... Daniel's waiting for me"

The brothers watched as she left, enjoying the subtle sway of her hips as she walked. They were rather looking forward to her performance, although they would have much preferred it to have been only for them rather than the entire village.

* * *

Skye frowned as she entered the back room, where she and Daniel had set up a make-shift dressing room for themselves. She could see he was on edge, his eyes darting around in a flurry of panic. It couldn't have been the performance that was putting him on edge, but she knew what else could have been.

"Hey, stop freaking out, you look as if you're seeing things"

Her words had been joking but her eyes held a serious gleam in them as he turned to look at her, matching her frown. Nothing good ever came when she saw that expression on Daniel's face, she just had to hope it was nothing too serious.

"Sorry, there's a lot on my mind at the moment... you're not wearing your tags today?"

She sent him a critical look as he didn't even turn to look at her, he didn't need too to know that she had left them behind in her room.

"It's fine, and I left them on the bedside table. Now come on, we're first up and they've already set up the props so they'll be giving the call soon"

As if on cue, one of the locals who had helped to organise the event popped his head around the door, giving the signal for them both to get in place and get ready for their introduction.

There was no going back now. Skye could only hope that she didn't mess up and that her three mates enjoyed the show.

* * *

The brothers were tense as the lights began to dim, having taken their seats at the front of the little stage section so that they could get a perfect view of their mate. The show was starting and, in the darkness, they could see her taking her position as her friend stood behind the microphone. She was sat at a little writing desk looking, for all intent and purpose, as if she were working.

"Welcome everyone, to our fundraising talent show! We hope you enjoy the evening and show your support for the acts tonight... First up, we have Daniel and Skye singing 'Blurred lines' with a burlesque routine!"

the spot lights came on, fixing on Daniel and Skye as the music began to play, his voice resounding in harmony as he began to sing.

"If you can't hear what I'm trying to say

If you can't read from the same page

Maybe I'm going deaf

Maybe I'm going blind

Maybe I'm out of my mind

Everybody get up

OK now he was close, tried to domesticate you

But you're an animal, baby, it's in your nature

Just let me liberate you

Hey, hey, hey

You don't need no papers

Hey, hey, hey

That man is not your maker"

The brothers watched, eyes transfixed as Skye began to move, raising slowly from the little seat as she began to sway her hips to the beat, hands trailing along her body and tracing along the curve of her breasts before running through her hair and pulling the bloody locks from the confines of the band, letting them splay free as she threw her head back and bit her lower lip, a seductive smile coming to her lips as she sent a swift glance to the three kings.

"And that's why I'm gon' take a good girl

I know you want it

I know you want it

I know you want it

You're a good girl

Can't let it get past me

You're far from plastic

Talk about getting blasted

I hate these blurred lines

I know you want it

I know you want it

I know you want it

But you're a good girl

The way you grab me

Must wanna get nasty

Go ahead, get at me

Everybody get up"

They watched as she began to move around the desk, her step confident and the sultry smile still in place as she began to slowly, elaborately, undo the final buttons of the blouse but still managing to keep the material held across her chest as she turned her back towards the audience, looking over her shoulder as she began to let the piece of clothing fall from her shoulders

The brothers went rigid as she revealed the black and red corset that she had hidden beneath, the laced up backing exposing a section of her smooth mocha skin. Caius and Aro let a possessive growl pass their lips as the cheers resounded from the male populace of the audience as Marcus dug his fingers into the table.

"What do they make dreams for  
When you got them jeans on  
What do we need steam for  
You the hottest bitch in this place  
I feel so lucky  
Hey, hey, hey  
You wanna hug me  
Hey, hey, hey  
What rhymes with hug me?  
Hey, hey, hey

OK now he was close, tried to domesticate you  
But you're an animal, baby it's in your nature  
Just let me liberate you  
Hey, hey, hey  
You don't need no papers  
Hey, hey, hey  
That man is not your maker  
Hey, hey, hey"

Skye still had her back to the audience, biting on her index finger gently as she began to lean forward, the tightness of the pencil skirt defining her firm backside perfectly as she brought her other hand behind her, slowly pulling the zip open to reveal stocking and suspenders attached to a pair of black, lace, French knickers.

The brothers could taste the venom pooling in their mouths as she landed a hard swat against the flesh of her rump, sending a cheeky wink to the audience. Their self control was being pushed to the limits with her little display.

"And that's why I'm gon' take a good girl  
I know you want it  
I know you want it  
I know you want it  
You're a good girl  
Can't let it get past me  
You're far from plastic  
Talk about getting blasted  
Everybody get up  
I hate these blurred lines  
I know you want it  
I hate them lines  
I know you want it  
I hate them lines  
I know you want it  
But you're a good girl  
The way you grab me  
Must wanna get nasty  
Go ahead, get at me

One thing I ask of you  
Let me be the one you back that ass to  
Go, from Malibu, to Paris, boo  
Yeah, I had a bitch, but she ain't bad as you  
So hit me up when you passing through  
I'll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two  
Swag on, even when you dress casual  
I mean it's almost unbearable  
In a hundred years not dare, would I  
Pull a Pharside let you pass me by  
Nothing like your last guy, he too square for you  
He don't smack that ass and pull your hair like that  
So I just watch and wait for you to salute  
But you didn't pick  
Not many women can refuse this pimpin'  
I'm a nice guy, but don't get it if you get with me"

She continued to dance for a moment, rolling her hips in sensuous circles as her hands began to toy with the fastenings of the corset, teasing her audience with her intention as she began to move towards the desk once more. Unleashing the corset but vanishing momentarily behind the prop, she reappeared with two large feather fans that helped to conceal the nudity of her chest and began to move towards the front of the stage, fluttering the feathers of the fan as she gave teasing glimpses of what she was hiding.

"Shake the vibe, get down, get up  
Do it like it hurt, like it hurt  
What you don't like work?

Baby can you breathe? I got this from Jamaica  
It always works for me, Dakota to Decatur, uh huh  
No more pretending  
Hey, hey, hey  
Cause now you winning  
Hey, hey, hey  
Here's our beginning

I always wanted a good girl  
Everybody get up)  
I know you want it  
I know you want it  
I know you want it  
You're a good girl  
Can't let it get past me  
You're far from plastic  
Talk about getting blasted  
I hate these blurred lines  
Everybody get up)  
I know you want it  
I know you want it  
I know you want it  
But you're a good girl  
The way you grab me  
Must wanna get nasty  
Go ahead, get at me"

As the song progressed too it's close, Daniel smiling in amusement at his friends performance, the glimpses of her toned stomach and generous bosom were becoming more frequent before finally, as she dropped down into a crouch with her right leg stretched out to the side, she threw the giant fans behind her with her arms crossed over her chest so that she cradled her breasts and pushed them up, making the fans look like giant black wings as she bowed her head and closed her eyes.

The brothers stayed glued to their seats as everyone else stood, clapping and cheering for the two as the host brought out a jacket to cover Skye. They watched as they vanished behind the scenes of the stage before moving to follow. It was time that their mate learned just who she belonged too now.

* * *

Skye sighed in relief as she stood outside the community hall, thankful that the show was over and that she'd brought a change of clothes with her. She felt much more comfortable in her skinny jeans and army style tank top, having swapped the high heeled shoes for a pair of flat heeled ankle boots.

"That went well"

She took a languid draw on her cigarette. Daniel had still been on edge after they had left the stage, excusing himself quickly as he had also vanished into the night, muttering under his breath. It worried her to no end, but there was nothing she could do but wait, see what had sent him on high alert.

"Hmmmm, all alone at last... Mia Vixen"

The feel of strong, slender arms wrapping around her waist from behind, Aro's purred words whispered into her ear as Caius flitted to stand in front of her, a devilish smirk painted across his lips caused a moan to break passed her lips, a flush of embarrassment coming to her cheeks. She turned her face slightly, biting her lower lip as she saw Marcus striding towards her with a gleam in his eye that made her give an involuntary whimper.

"Such a sensual display you gave, little love"

There was something different about the usually stoic vampire, his eyes ablaze with his pent up love and need for his mate. His voice deep and rich as he trailed his fingers along her jaw line and down the slender column of her throat, revelling in how her breathing became ragged and her pupils became dilated with her lust.

She felt as though she was on fire, every nerve in her body singing with each touch and her self control rapidly losing the battle to hold in her moans. She gasped as Caius took a gentle hold of her chin, bringing her attention back to him.

"But no other shall see you in such a state again, only my brothers and I... You must learn who your mates are, my treasure"

She gave a small yelp as their hands began to explore, their lips leaving burning paths of desire along her throat and shoulders. The feel of a hand tracing sensual patterns along the hollow of her hip, a hand crawling beneath her shirt and cupping her breast as another began to squeeze one of the rounded globes of her rump had her legs shaking. She didn't know who was touching where, only that it felt like nothing she had ever experienced before.

"SKYE!"

The sound of Daniel's voice, filled with panic, came hurtling through her blissful daze of pleasure. The brothers hissed in possessive anger as they were forced to detach from their mate, watching the raven haired mortal come running from the direction of the hotel, his eyes wide with fear and horror, not even registering that his friend was rearranging her appearance, her breath coming out in soft pants as she forced herself down from her high.

"Daniel, breath! What's happened? What's wrong?"

He took a moment to steady himself, taking deep gulps of air before saying five words that nearly had Skye crashing too her knees.

"The hotel is on fire!"


	13. Chapter 13

The sky seemed to glow red as the flames licked higher, the heat intense even from a distance as Skye ran alongside Daniel towards the hotel, the three brothers close behind. She felt as though her world was falling around her feet, her work at the hotel had been her only escape since being released from service. And now it stood in flames, because of her.

"Do we know what caused it?"

She didn't look at Daniel as they came to a halt, a safe distance from the flames as they looked on in horror. She'd known from the start that they would do something drastic to try and kill her, but nothing like this. The brothers were stood a little way back, not wishing to get too close to the flames for their own reasons as they watched the two friends converse. There was a crowd starting to gather, the locals and the guests who had all been at the show only moments before.

"To someone else, it would look like an electrical malfunction within the office that sparked the first flame... But it was deliberate, there are two wires that have been cut in the main power supply that have been used to trigger this"

The brothers frowned as they heard this. How was he so sure? He could not possibly have been inside the building to check for signs of arson. Skye pinched the bridge of her nose at what he had said. These bastards knew what they were doing and they didn't care for anyone else that may have been caught in the process. Her head snapped round as the voice of one of the female guests began screaming, her voice rattling with tears and terror.

"My daughter! She's in the room!"

"Shit! Why was she left in the hotel?"

Daniel's voice was filled with worry as he began letting his eye scan over the building, locking onto one of the front rooms as the woman continued to shout.

"She didn't want to go to the talent show, so she stayed behind"

"Daniel, keep Intel for me, I'm going in"

Skye was tying her hair back as she began to move towards the burning building as Daniel pulled out two small ear pieces from his pocket, passing one to Skye as he fitted the other to his ear, his face calm and composed as he began to focus in on the inside of the building. Skye had only managed a few steps before the feel of Caius' hand gripping her shoulder tight stopped her movement.

"You are not going in there! The building is on fire Skye, even you couldn't survive that if anything went wrong"

"That does it! Up with this, I will not put. You've known me for not even a month, yet you seem to think that because I'm your mate, you three can order me around. Well you can't! I've been in more situations like this than I care to remember, or are you forgetting that I used to be a hired soldier"

She forced his hand away, running for the building and vanishing into the flames as the brothers stood frozen. Daniel sighed as he fiddled with the ear piece and put it into sync with its counterpart , with the look on their faces, it was clear that none of them were used to having their demands ignored.

"Don't take it to heart... She's always been like this. But I know she'll come out without a scratch, that's the good thing about hyper regeneration, even if she does hate what she is"

Time seemed to freeze as the brothers turned to Daniel slowly, eyes widened slightly in surprise. How did he know about her gift? Did he know about the illusions as well? A smirk flickered on his lips as he sent a quick glance towards them. She hadn't told them.

"It's good to know that my sister in arms would keep my own secret, even from her vampire mates"

Aro took a step back as it suddenly dawned on him. Daniel's voice was the same, the same as the man on the phone. Daniel's smirk turned into a full smile as he continued to stare at the hotel. He was breaking his own rules by telling them, but what did it matter? He'd broken too many rules in his life to start caring now, not when Skye needed him the most.

"Nice to meet you all in the flesh... Subject three, at your service"

The crackling of the signal on the other end stopped any questions as Daniel began to focus on speaking to Skye and the vision of the hotel inside.

* * *

The smoke was thick as Skye forced her way through the flames, careful not to let herself be burned as she dodged the debris that were beginning to fall, the rafters of the ceiling were hanging ominously and she knew that the building wouldn't last long under the pressure of the fire.

"Daniel, which room am I heading for?"

The ear piece fizzed slightly as the signal came into focus. They hadn't needed to use these in nearly three years, the memories they brought back weren't exactly happy ones.

"You're looking for the Suilven Suite. The little girl is trapped inside, From what I can see, the door is blocked where a section of the roof timbers have collapsed, so you'll need to put in some extra force if you want to get in there... And subject seven, they know who I am so no need to play pretend anymore"

"Oh great, so now we're both up shit creek without a canoe! They'll come for you now as well!"

There was laughing on the other end of the line as she glared, knowing that his all seeing eye would pick up on her expression. In her opinion, this was no laughing matter but clearly she'd missed the joke. She turned the corner, keeping her arm across her nose and mouth as she tried to stop from inhaling too much of the toxic fumes. The Suilven Suite was just at the end of the corridor, the only problem: The rafters had fallen through completely and half the ceiling now lay, blocking her path.

"They would have come for me anyway, better to get it out of the way now rather than a few years down the line... And don't glare like that darling, it doesn't suit you"

She just rolled her eyes at his comment. She'd have preferred to wait a few more years before having to face her past demons, but she was starting to realise that, if she'd had a guardian angel, then she had a sick sense of humour. Skye looked around for a moment, hoping to find a gap that she could fit through to continue down the corridor but there wasn't. There was only one thing for it, she gritted her teeth as the burning lumps of wood seared into her hands as she lifted each beam out of her way, only grateful that the formula from her childhood had given her enhanced strength. She forced down the screams of pain as she moved the final obstacle, her hands bleeding from the burns and blistering from the heat, but she couldn't stop now.

"You have to hurry Subject seven. The child is unconscious and the roof is deteriorating fast "

"You don't say?! And there I was thinking that it was normal for huge chunks of the roof to be falling around my head!"

She forced herself to move faster as she finally reached the door to the room. She tried the handle, to see if the door was really blocked. It was. She focused all her strength into her legs as she landed six solid kicks against the door, splintering the wood as it broke beneath the force. The smoke was thick as she climbed into the room, impairing her vision as she struggled to see where the child was.

"She's in the bathroom, be careful when you open the door, she's collapsed not far from it"

Through the smoke, Skye did her best to locate the bathroom door, pushing it open and locating the child within. She was lay, face down, on the tiled floor, her face covered by blond hair. Skye felt her mind scream as flash backs of the young girl she had shot in friendly fire came storming back to her memory, her mind's eye taunting her as the vision of blood pooling around the body began to enter her thoughts. She couldn't move, she was frozen in place as the rafters above them both began to creek and strain.

"Snap out of it! That's not her, you aren't back there Skye! Her name is Sophia Lemmings, she's six years old and still has all her life ahead of her, but only if you grab her, haul ass and get out of there!"

Daniel's voice broke her thoughts as she grabbed Sophia, balancing the little girl on her hip as she covered her face to prevent her from breathing in anymore of the fumes as she managed to dive out of the way, the ceiling crashing down and only just missing the pair as she began to look for the nearest exit.

* * *

The brothers watched on as Daniel continued to correspond with their mate, they could see her silhouette through one of the front room windows, distorted by smoke as she held the figure of a child in her arms as she seemed to be looking for an exit. They felt that, if they had still owned a beating heart, they could have had a heart attack through panic. There would be hell to pay for this stunt, if she made it out at all.

"Do you think you can jump it?"

The brothers wanted to protest against the suggestion. Was it not enough that she had entered a burning building? Now her fellow subject was suggesting jumping out of windows! There was a laugh on the other end of the ear piece, distorted by the signal as it began to fail under the intense heat, Skye's voice drifting to their ears.

"Give me some credit, the building is only two stories tall and you're asking if I can actually make the jump?... Jeez, this feels all too much like the old days... Now, look out, I'm coming down"

All eyes seemed to move towards one window as it was forced open fully, Skye appearing from within as she positioned herself on the edge, holding Sophia close to her as she took the leap. She landed on her feet, legs bent at the knee and balanced on the balls of her feet as the little girl's mother came running forward, taking the child into her own arms with a sobbed 'thank you' before running off to try and get her daughter some medical attention.

"Still got it, I see"

Skye stood slowly as she met Daniel's gaze, both silent for a minute as they seemed to be caught in a memory of each other. In Daniel's eyes for that short moment, Skye was still the lethal weapon of war that had always worn her hair in a high tail and worn all black as she looked out at the world with an empty expression and, to Skye, Daniel was still the perfect Intel man with his gadgets and his false smile that hid his own sadness.

"I never lost it"

Skye stiffened suddenly as cold hands clutched her wrists, the sound of Aro's snarl drifting to her ears as she turned her eyes to the three kings. They didn't just look angry, they looked furious as they each looked over the grotesque burns that warped the flesh of her hands. The mating bond driving them to the edge of insanity over the knowledge that she had been injured.

"You do not seem to understand, Skye! We are not trying to control you when we attempt to stop you from doing anything reckless. We are simply trying to love you, protect you and carry out our duty as your mates! seeing you injured causes us immense grief, or did you forget about the mating bond?"

Caius had clutched her hands within his own, squeezing down hard as he forced her to look into his eyes, seeming unable to hear as she gave a slight scream of pain. His eyes looked deranged with his anger as he added pressure to the burns, seeming intent on exacting his own form of punishment on her for causing he and his brothers such distress.

"Let her go!"

A sound like thunder clapping against the ground resounded as Caius staggered back from Skye, a crack in his marble skin as Daniel flexed his fists. The blond vampire seemed to come back to his senses as he watched Daniel take a gentle hold of Skye's heavily damaged hands, realising what he had done as he began to panic.

"Skye's not the only one who can land a decent punch, arsehole"

Daniel's words were sneered as he returned his attention to Skye, her hands now broken from the vampire's grip as well as severely burned. Aro and Marcus were looking at Caius with mixed anger and horror as he tried to take a step closer to their mate, only to have Daniel shield her from him.

"Skye, forgive me! I had no intention of causing you pain, my anger got the better of me"

His apology seemed to fall on deaf ears as she looked down at her hands, cradled in Daniel's palms as tears began to threaten her eyes. She watched as the bones began to mend, the sound of them clicking back into place made her feel sick as the burns began to bubble through the effects of her healing ability, the angry red marks receding and fading, the blisters bursting and the skin stitching back together until nothing remained of the injury. She twitched her hands, checking that they were fully mended before slamming her own fist into the other side of Caius' face, her face twisted with her own rage as she squared up to the shocked vampire.

"You don't know me at all, do you? I'm sorry that I scared you with my actions, but I couldn't just sit back and let a child die! You think that you three are the only one's feeling the effects of this mating bond? You're not. I hate myself for telling you what I was before because now I'm scared that I've put you all in danger as well by dragging you into this mess! I can't bring myself to be away from you three for any length of time because it feels like I'm dying inside when I can't be with you! But I'm struggling to come to terms with it all because, and let's be honest here, it's not every fucking day a girl finds herself in love with three vampires!"

With each word she spoke, her voice grew angrier and the tears that had threatened her eyes now began to fall free and Caius pulled her into his arms, kissing her head in apology as she clutched at his shirt, sobbing as all the pent up emotion she'd been hiding since meeting the brothers was finally let free.

Daniel began to back off as Aro and Marcus joined their brother in trying to calm down the red head. With the events of the night, he had a lot of work ahead of him now if he wanted to stay one step ahead of the people who now threatened both Skye and himself. The arsonist had already fled the scene when he had first arrived and was now, more than likely, on the way back to inform his or her bosses that Skye was not dead. He cursed mentally. It would seem that Skye would have to leave sooner than they had thought.

The brothers held their mate as she continued to cry, feeling the stress and fear that seemed to encompass her soul and wishing that there was more that they could do to ease her worries, make the situation go away, it felt terrible to know that there was little they could do but wait for the next move to be made. Aro noticed as Daniel began to leave, a sly smile coming to his lips as a thought occurred to him. With Daniel's ability, he would surely make for an interesting addition to the coven if he were brought back to Volterra and turned. It would also make Skye happier if she had her best friend with her. The idea seemed flawless, everyone would have what they wanted. Yes, Aro liked this idea.

* * *

******So, that was chapter thirteen. Hope you all liked it, let me know what you think :) The next update will hopefully be up soon. Thanks for reading guys! x**


	14. Chapter 14

Skye stood outside the cottage as she stared at the burned out wreckage that had once been the hotel. Three days after the fire, Skye felt lost as she tried to think of what she could do. Four years, the place that had been her safe haven with Daniel was gone, destroyed in a matter of hours by the flames. The brothers had decided that it was time to leave, for them to return to their coven and place both Skye and Daniel under their protection until the next move was made by the enemy. But preparation had to be made, both for the journey and for their arrival, meaning that it would probably be another two days before they could make the trip. What was she meant to do?

"Don't dwell on it... We both knew that when they came for either of us, it would throw everything up in the air if we survived... All we can do now is make sure we're ready for the next attack"

She turned, a weary smile on her face as Daniel came to join her, sending a disapproving glance to the cigarette that she held between her fingers. If he wanted her to be back at top form, then those blasted cigarettes would be the first thing that needed to go.

"But how are we meant to prepare for something we have no clue about? It's all good and well that you can see them but you can't watch them all the time. You have to sleep at some point"

"We do exactly what we used to do... We train, bust our arses until you're back in top form and my visions are as accurate as they once were... You have to admit that we've let our skills fall short in the past four years"

She sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was right. For the past four years, Daniel had all but been chained to a computer looking over the hotel's accounts and Skye had been cleaning rooms, hardly activities that could truly exercise their specific skills. But who could she train against? Although he knew what her training regime had once been, Daniel was definitely not a fighter. She let a smirk grace her lips as an idea came to her mind.

"Let me grab the brothers... Then we'll start"

* * *

The location was perfect, the moors far behind where the hotel had once stood. Quiet and away from any curious eyes that may have wandered upon the strange sight. Skye had changed her clothes back at the cottage, now wearing a pair of shorts to give her legs more manoeuvrability and flat heeled sneakers.

"Skye, my love, I do not think that this is such a good idea. Are you sure that Daniel would not be a better choice of opponent?"

The brothers were stood opposite her in the secluded moorlands, watching as she cracked her knuckles and stretched her back before sending an innocent look towards Aro. They really believed that she couldn't handle a simple sparring match against one of them? Well, she was just going to have to show them who was really outmatched in this game.

"Oh, I'm very certain about this Aro. And to prove it, I choose to take you on"

A panicked look came too Aro's eyes as he sent his brothers a pleading look, hoping that they would back him up in this debate with their mate. No such look as Marcus gave a shrug and Caius turned his face away, knowing what it really felt like to be on the receiving end of Skye's fists. He still had the crack in his skin to prove it. It wasn't that they had little faith in her abilities, but they were vampires. No human could possibly hope to match them in a fight. What if he hurt her in the process of this little sparring match?

"Tsk, scared of having your arse kicked by a girl? Guess I should give a rethink on how well you can protect me, as your mate, if you can't even prove yourself to me personally"

He knew he shouldn't have fallen for her bait, that she was simply trying to gain a reaction from him, but he fell for it, hook line and sinker. The mere mention that she was questioning his worth to be her mate made his blood boil as he turned back to her. Skye smirked as she watched him take off his suit jacket and hand it to Marcus before moving to stand in front of her, both taking to their battle stance. The brothers were always so immaculate in their appearances, especially Aro. She was going to enjoy ruffling him up a bit.

"OK, the rules are simple: No actually trying to kill each other and Aro has to run like a human. There's no point in this if Skye can't actually land a hit on you. The first to be pinned loses"

Daniel was stood a little further away from them, not wishing to be caught in any crossfire that may occur from the fight, with Felix. The giant vampire seemed more than happy to simply stand beside the other man, occasionally sending little glimpses towards him and frowning when he noticed that Daniel was trying his best to not pay him any attention, a difficult task when his heart felt that it could beat right out of his chest at the mere sight of the taller man. He couldn't really understand it, he'd only met the man three days ago after the hotel had been set on fire, but his mind felt at ease when Felix was next to him. All his worries seemed to fade and he was able to see so much clearer. It made no sense, but perhaps Skye could help him to understand what was going on after the training had finished.

"On 3... 2... 1. Begin!"

The two rushed at each other, Aro doing his best to lower his speed as he swung his fist out, startled as Skye dropped to her knees and skidded beneath the limb he had lashed out, sending a harsh dig into his own side where his kidney had once been. She was holding nothing back as he gave a slight grunt at the force she had placed behind the punch, spinning in time to see her rise back to her feet, leg raised as she aimed a brutal high kick towards his face. He blocked successfully with his arm as he shielded from her attack, gripping her ankle as he flung her away from him.

A sickening crack rang out as she landed against the dirt, her other ankle taking the brunt of her weight and snapping beneath the pressure as it was bent in the wrong direction. Caius and Marcus would have reprimanded Aro, told him to take more care in how he handled their mate, but were stopped as she forced herself up into a sitting position. Her face was calm as she gripped her broken ankle, eyes set in a blank gaze and not a single scream of pain coming forth from her lips as she snapped the bone back into place, allowing her healing abilities to do the rest as she took a slight breather, closing her eyes for a second.

Aro watched as she fixed her ankle back into place, unsure of whether he should feel proud that his mate had such a high tolerance for pain or whether he should feel highly disturbed that a human was able to fight him on almost equal terms. He came back to his senses as Skye began to move back into her fighting stance, prepared to carry on their sparring match. Something looked different in those beautiful baby blue eyes, they had lost their warmth and the little glint had vanished. They were cold and empty as they looked upon Aro, glassy and dead in a face that had become like marble in how unreadable it now was. She wasn't playing anymore and she definitely didn't look like the Skye he and his brothers loved. This was Subject seven, the trained killer who knew nothing but death.

Daniel watched on as he noticed the change in his friend, unsure of whether he should call time or wait to see what the outcome would be. This was the mindset that she needed to be in if it ever came down to a fight with their old general, but god only knew that Aro was in danger if they couldn't snap her out of it now. He was about to call time on the fight, realising that, if he let it run and Skye did something dangerous, she'd never forgive herself for doing it, but something caught his eye. A brief flicker stood beside Caius and Marcus as they seemed oblivious to anything other than the fight as it began to continue. He smirked as he turned back and he had to admit, Skye Fall was a sly one when she wanted to be. He double checked his holster at the side of his hip, making sure that he'd remembered to bring the revolver for what he had planned for after the fight.

Aro managed to dodge just in time as a fist came hurtling towards him. She was faster, moving with trained precision and striking with an accuracy that could prove lethal if she managed to land a perfect hit on him. When this fight had first begun, he had believed that it would be over in a matter of minutes, his worth as her mate proven and his own ego inflated. But, he was starting to realise, Skye was not an opponent to be taken lightly. Her years of training and service, the unique skills that she possessed and the sheer determination to win had made her a match for anyone, even a vampire. And then it dawned on Aro, she hadn't wanted any proof of his suitability to be her mate, she had never even questioned it for a minute. This was about proving to them just what she was capable of, making sure they knew that they didn't need to worry as much as they did. She could handle herself just fine.

Skye back flipped out of the way as Aro's way as one of his hands came dangerously close to grabbing her, his fingers grazing against her arm as a smirk came to his lips. Shit, he'd seen into her thoughts, he knew her next move. She skidded to a halt, clawing her fingers into the ground to slow herself down before darting back towards her raven haired mate, snarling as he side stepped out of the way and gripped her around the waist, throwing her down and pinning her to the grass with his body straddled across her hips.

"I believe, Mia Amore, that this fight is mine"

His grin spread like oil across his face as he took in the sight of his mate, pinned beneath his own body and looking wild as her hair splayed against the ground, like a bloody halo, her breath coming out in ragged huffs. She looked divine as he leaned down slightly to take a quick intake of her fiery scent.

"You shouldn't be so confident... You're forgetting who you're dealing with"

His eyes widened in shock as the image of his mate beneath him flickered and faded beneath him, a hand gripping his shoulder and flipping him onto his back as the real Skye moved to straddle his own body, a smug grin across her face as their eyes met.

"That was cheating, my love"

"Daniel said nothing against using our abilities as an advantage"

She gave a blissful sigh as she leaned down slightly, her body pressed firmly against his own and breasts pushed up against him. She liked being this close to him, knowing that she'd feel the exact same if it was with his brothers as well, she could see the red of his eyes beginning to change to black as he gave a low, lustful growl, his hands taking a tight grip of her hips as he rolled his pelvis up towards her. She gasped as a bright blush came to her cheeks at the feel of him, hard, pressing up against her, his lips pulled into a devilish smile. She could feel the heat building within her, like liquid fire at what he was insinuating. He lifted his face slightly, their lips only moments away from locking as Skye could hear the growls of her other two mates, a mixture of their own lust and possessiveness. The moment was ruined, however, as a shot rang out and she was forced to jump back from Aro as they both sent enraged glares towards Daniel. He was giving them both a nonplussed look as he aimed the little revolver back in Skye's direction.

"If you want to do the nasty with each other, then get a room! Not in the middle of a field with an audience"

He fired again, chuckling as Skye only just managed to dodge the second bullet. Her words were angry as she began to yell at him.

"What the hell, Daniel! Give me some warning before you bring a gun into the training session!"

"The enemies won't give you any warning before they start shooting! Manners are the first thing to go out of the window in a fight. Now dodge, bitch, dodge!"

Aro had moved to stand back with his brothers, an irritated glare on his face as he watched Daniel shoot as Skye did her best to dodge the bullets, back flipping and diving around the field as she continued to send a barrage of insults towards her friend. His brothers were sending him an amused look as he readjusted his suit trousers and pulled his jacket back on, he knew now that it wouldn't be much longer until Skye was ready to complete the mating bond with he and his brothers. But to have the opportunity placed right before him and then so brutally ripped away by his mates gun wielding, all seeing, best friend had been such a cruel twist of fate. He and his brothers could only hope that, upon their arrival back in Volterra, they could be afforded a few days to keep their mate for just themselves.


	15. Chapter 15

Daniel had heard it mentioned many a time in jest amongst the male populace of the hotels guests that there was nothing more dangerous than a pissed off woman. As he sat in his seat upon the brothers private jet, beneath the furious glare of Skye, he couldn't help believe that they may well have been telling the truth. With the looming prospect of a two hour flight and the brothers nowhere in sight to calm their enraged mate, Daniel couldn't shake the feeling that Skye was on the verge of punching him.

"Come on Skye, you can't be mad at me forever"

Her eye twitched slightly as she leaned forward in her own seat, propped up on her elbows as they rested against her thighs, that glare only seeming to grow in its intensity.

"You want to place a bet on that? I need them Daniel, and you're stopping me from having them"

"It's for your own good Skye, just until all this is over and then you can do whatever you want with them"

Never had Skye felt so on edge as she did now. With everything that had happened, the hotel being burned down, the return of her old training routine and the added pressure of moving too Volterra with the brothers and worrying about life within a coven of vampires, there was only one thing that she wanted, the only thing she knew would ease her growing agitation.

Daniel could almost hear the sound of her teeth grinding together, wondering if he would be safer trying to avoid the red head until she calmed down. He knew that Skye hated being told what she could and couldn't do, but this was for her own good. He only had her best interests at heart.

"You don't get it Daniel. I need them and I need them now!"

"Please Skye, it's for your own good"

"Give me a fucking cigarette!"

Daniel winced as she slammed her fist against the coffee table, clearly he'd underestimated the effects of nicotine depravation. But he was going to stand his ground on this. Her temper could be formidable, yes, but so was his determination to help her quit smoking, whether she liked it or not.

"Mia Amore. You must understand that Daniel only has your health in mind. Your training routine is rather vigorous and those cigarettes are not helping to hasten your progress"

Skye's eyes snapped to the side, the brothers having left the pilot's cabin after making some final adjustments to the flight. They were smiling at her warmly, trying to use the effects of the mating bond to sooth their mate and bring her out of the rage she was in. She scowled, bringing her legs up against her chest and wrapping her arms around them as she sulked.

"Skye didn't look at the brothers as they each took a seat close to her, Marcus in the armchair to her right and Aro and Caius on either side of the sofa she sat upon. Daniel noticed how they were looking at her, their eyes brimming with affection and love towards the sulking red head, could almost feel the longing that they seemed to radiate towards her. He rose quietly, deciding that it would probably be best to give the four of them some alone time, perhaps go and find Felix and spend some time with him?

As Daniel made his way into the pilot's cabin, the brothers couldn't help but feel almost grateful for how their mates friend seemed capable of sensing their desires, grateful that he had known they wished to be alone with her to simply speak for a moment. There was something on their mind about her, something that needed to be asked.

"My love?..."

Skye turned her face slightly at the sound of Caius' voice, an exasperated sigh passing his lips as he noticed the dark rings beginning to form once more beneath her enchanting eyes. He snaked his arm around her back, nudging her towards him carefully.

"You have not been sleeping well again, darling. Come, rest against me"

Skye blushed slightly as she lowered her head into his lap. It wasn't embarrassment that caused the burning within her cheeks, it felt right to be this intimate with him or his brothers, but rather the fact that she could feel her heart pounding against her chest whenever they touched her, feel the desire growing inside her body whenever she was with them. But how was she meant to go about such things when she could barely remember the last time she had been intimate with a man, let alone three. A slight shiver ran through her body as a hand began to ghost patterns along her thigh, her eyes darting to the culprit only to see Aro, his smirk devilish as she chose to ignore his behaviour

"There's something that we have been meaning to ask you Skye"

She was silent as she waited for Marcus to continue, seeing the curiosity within his ruby orbs as he thought of how to phrase his question. Aro chose to take over, seeing that his brother seemed unwilling to ask the question that so desperately needed asking.

"With your ability for hyper regeneration, we have begun to question whether or not it would even be possible for us to turn you, make you immortal to remain by our side for eternity. Is it a possibility Mia Cara?"

Skye went rigid slightly at his words. She hadn't even thought about the possibility of them biting her, the chance that they would make her an immortal. She relaxed slightly, knowing that she would have to reply, although the answer would probably not be what they were hoping to hear.

"The venom would be rejected from my body before it could even fully get into my system. My metabolism burns of any harmful toxins too fast for it to have the effect you want, just like it does with alcohol."

The brothers frowned at this. So they would never be able to turn her? They would be forced to watch her age, eventually die and lose her forever? Skye remained in her position, head rested against Caius' lap as she continued to speak. If they had not liked what she had just said then they were going to hit the roof on what she had to add.

"That's not to say that I can't be changed... You remember that I told you of my torture in China? That my healing ability was unable to fix one of the wounds? The huge scar on my back is the proof that my hyper regeneration can be stopped, that if you were to follow the same methods as my interrogators, then you would be able to bite and convert me into immortality"

She took a breath, steeling herself for what she was about to say. Why did they have to care so much for her well being? If they didn't then she would have no problem simply blurting this out. But it was the fact that she hated to see them upset, despised whenever her actions or the reality of her life made them worry. Why couldn't she just be a normal human?

"You would need to starve me, dehydrate me until my body was too weak and the cells didn't have the energy beyond keeping me from deaths door to heal any wounds"

The brothers were frozen for a moment as her words sunk into their minds, Aro's hand no longer tracing patterns against her thigh before, finally, Caius let a snarl rip from his lips and he forced their mate to look up at him from the comfort of his lap.

"NO. No, no, no! We shall not be doing that Skye. That cannot be the only method, there has to be another way?"

She bit her lip. Of course there was another way, but it wasn't much better than the first method. If anything, it was worse. It was something that she did not like to think of, something that made her feel sick to the stomach over the truth of her own existence.

"You think that, because of my healing ability, I am indestructible? That only old age will bring death to my door? You're so wrong... There's another way to eradicate the effects of my healing... The general always said that my heart had always been my greatest weakness, that I felt too much to ever truly be classed as the perfect killer... My heart is the stem of my healing, where the formula mutated my desire to survive and gave me this gift... If my heart is damaged, either shot or stabbed, then I won't be able to heal... I would die of my injury unless you turned me in those short moments before death"

Nothing more needed to be said, her words lingering in the minds of the brothers as they tried to come to terms with this harsh reality. They watched as she nestled herself against Caius, a broken gleam in her eyes as she thought of the pain she would need to go through if they chose to turn her.

There had never been any doubt within their minds that Skye would one day be an immortal, no second thoughts in their minds that they would keep her by their side forever. But what she had said had hit them hard, torn between the need to have their mate for eternity but know that they had caused her unimaginable pain to achieve it, or allow her to live out her life as a human and be forced to watch as death stole her from them. Such decisions and realisation really were quite a bitter pill to take.

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**So, Skye and Daniel are on their way to Volterra and the three kings really do have a big decision to make in regard to whether they chose to turn their mate or not. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, let me know what you thought and I promise that the next update will be up as soon as possible :) thanks guys! Happy reading x**


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